The Temptation of Hate
by QueenofOld
Summary: After Jean and Logan get together, Marie and Scott lean on each other for comfort. Later, Logan's desire for Marie spirals out of control and he won't let anything stop him from possessing her...not even the fact that they're both married to other people.
1. Chapter 1

**Rating: M**

**Author's Note: First of all, you will have to live through some Logan/Jean and Scott/Marie interaction, so that's just a warning up front. There may be some elements of semi-nonconsensual sex...that's another warning. Do not read if things like that offend you. Let's assume Marie has control over her power now. I'm not explaining this because it would just take up time in my story that I need for Rogan smut and arguments. The end of X2 and X Men 3 NEVER happened, therefore, everyone is alive in this fic. alexmonalisa provided the inspiration for this plot.**

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I'm just playing!  
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Marie remembered the night he told her. No matter how much time passed, she couldn't stop feeling as though it just happened to her.

Pain like that always lingers...like the sting of a paper cut when you accidentally get salt on it hours later.

She remembered sitting in her room, being unequivocally happy that he decided to favor her with an evening visit...but her joy was short lived as soon as she saw the look on his face. She knew that whatever was about to come out of his mouth was going to break her heart.

After all, he was the only man who held the power to break her heart. She and Bobby had broken up shortly after Logan's return because he felt her heart wasn't his alone.

Bobby always was a bit of a drama queen, but this time, he hit the nail on the head. Her heart didn't just belong to him. She had, and always would, carry a torch for Logan...and everyone knew it.

He stood in her doorway with his hands in his pockets, "Gotta minute, kid? I need to talk to you."

Marie nodded and stepped aside so that he could enter her room. She slowly closed the door behind him and turned around, "What's up?"

He looked down, then back up into her eyes as if he had to muster up enough courage to talk, "Jean and I are together now."

Logan couldn't help but notice that her face now looked the exact same way as the night he stabbed her through the chest. She even flinched as though she felt physical pain.

He continued after clearing his throat, "I just wanted to tell you myself before you heard it from anyone else...since...you're my friend..."

Marie took a few deep breaths and desperately tried not to look the way she felt, which was hurt, confused and angry. Wasn't Jean engaged to Scott?

She made up a generic excuse about forgetting to turn the lights out in the gym and rushed from the room before the tears sprang out of her eyes. She ran as fast as she could toward no particular destination. She only knew she wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

Marie burst through the doors of the garage and took a shuddering breath before allowing a strangled sob to escape her throat. She dropped to her knees and put her face in her hands...

She hated feeling so hurt. She wished she cold feel anything else but this hurt. Why couldn't she hate him? Why couldn't she completely forget about her stupid little fantasies to one day, know what it feels like to be loved and desired by him?

Two nights later, Marie had stashed a bottle of vodka in the garage and was making her way down to have another couple of shots to ease the Logan-induced pain. When she entered, she was surprised to see Scott sitting on a stool, helping himself to the bottle.

It was obvious he hadn't shaved since he was jilted and his hair was without product for the first time since she'd ever met him.

He glanced over his shoulder at her and held up the bottle of vodka, "This yours?"

"Uhh..."

He shrugged and took a swig, "You're not a student anymore, remember? Besides...I wouldn't say anything even if you were...I'm lacking motivation right now. Pull up a chair."

She sat next to him and took the offered bottle. She took a small sip and cringed slightly as the liquid burned her throat.

They drank in silence for nearly fifteen minutes before she finally spoke, "I'm sorry about what happened."

He looked at her for a long time, "Thanks...me too." Scott took another sip and looked at her, "He broke your heart, huh?"

Marie took the bottle, "I guess so."

"Ya know...I would tell you not to worry...that you're young and beautiful and you'll definitely find someone who's worth your time...but I know it wouldn't help. Storm said something like that to me yesterday and it made me feel even worst."

"Wow...Storm called you beautiful?"

Scott rolled his eyes, "Smart ass."

She let out a small, brief laugh before handing the bottle back, "I don't even know why I'm here...drinking. You're the one who deserves to be upset...you deserve this whole bottle...I should go."

"You're gonna leave me to drink by myself and deprive me of your sunny personality?"

Marie rolled her eyes and smiled genuinely for the first time in over 48 hours. Scott smirked, "There's a comforting sight..."

"What?"

He took a sip and looked into her eyes, "Your smile."

Less than twenty minutes later, her panties were off and he was leaning over her, in between her open legs as she sat back on the hood of his car.

Despite the fact that they were drunk, the kisses they shared were passionate and full of need and comfort. She gasped and whispered his name as he began pumping in and out of her.

Marie wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her ankles together behind him as he drove into her, pushing her further back against the hood of the car.

It didn't take long before they were both cumming, their bodies shuddering as they recovered from their perspective orgasms.

Scott leaned back slightly and looked at her, "You ok?"

Marie nodded slowly, "Yeah...you?"

He cleared his throat and pulled out of her before stowing himself away in his pants, "Yeah."

She could tell the situation had the potential to be really awkward, so she spoke quickly, "This is just two friends...in a bad situation. We just wanted to have a little fun, right?"

He nodded and smiled, "Yeah. Exactly...we're both hurt. We just needed a little comfort."

She laughed nervously, "Absolutely. We're ok, right?"

"Right! We're ok."

They left the garage that night under the assumption that they'd never have sex again...but the following week, she found herself pressed up against the wall of his room, moaning as he pumped into her.

At first, she wasn't sure if their sexual encounters were nothing more than misplaced revenge against Logan and Jean...but the more time they spent together, the more they clicked.

Meanwhile, her friendship with Logan was unrecognizable.

He'd actually tried to keep things as normal between them as possible, but she was adamant about keeping him at arms length. He kept inviting her to hang out or to go out to eat, but she kept offering up excuses and taking rain checks.

When Logan showed up to her door to invite her for a ride on his new motorcycle, she looked at him like he had three heads.

"Are you serious, Logan? It's a week night...I'm busy."

He nodded, "Come on. It'll only be an hour. We haven't had a chance to hang out in weeks...what's the big deal?"

"I said I'm busy."

She shook her head and started to close the door directly in his face, but he placed a hand on the door to stop her, "Alright, kid...I've tried to be there for you...to keep things normal between us, but you're not helping."

"Logan, sorry...I appreciate you looking out for me and everything, but I'm a grown woman now. You're free...obviously."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means we have different lives now and there's not much room in it for this friendship...it means we don't have to be friends anymore."

In his shock, he relented his grip on the door, giving her the opportunity to close it in his face. He stood there, staring at the wooden panel of her bedroom door for a good five minutes before slowly walking down the hallway.

It would only take him a few months to figure out why that exchange hurt him so badly.

* * *

Although Scott and Marie found comfort in each other in the months following their initial encounter, the news of Jean and Logan's quickie courthouse wedding still shook them both to the core.

She and Scott disappeared from the mansion for two days. No one knew they were together at a nearby hotel, attempting to fuck the fact that Jean and Logan were now married right out of their heads.

Marie would eventually realize how unhealthy their coping mechanisms were...but during that moment...she needed the mind numbing sensation sex brought.

She laid against Scott's chest in the hotel room, gently tracing a finger over his hairless chest as he allowed his fingers to play through her hair.

Her fingers suddenly stopped as she let out a deep breath, "What are we doin', Scott?"

He let out a deep breath and shook his head, "I dunno yet..."

His uncertainty didn't last for very long. His sexually charged friendship with her had turned into something far more meaningful than he could have imagined.

Scott fell in love with her.

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They managed to keep their relationship a secret for a full six months, but Scott was growing restless. He openly admitted to her that he wanted her to be his girlfriend, but Marie wasn't sure she wanted to deal with the drama that would come from announcing their relationship.

Despite her desire for secrecy, she loved the random quickies they enjoyed all over the mansion.

She giggled as he pulled her into his office. His lips immediately went to her neck as she hastily whispered, "Scott! We don't have time!"

He murmured against her skin, "Just give me five minutes..."

"Five?"

He paused and nodded a little, "Alright...ten...ten minutes. Come on baby..."

Marie laughed as he sat her on the edge of the desk and moved a hand up her skirt. Too bad neither of them heard Logan walk in...Scott could have prepared himself for what was about to happen.

She screamed as Scott was suddenly snatched from off of her and thrown against the opposite wall by a growling Logan. Marie scrambled off of the desk and yelled Logan's name as he began advancing on Scott, who was slowly getting to his feet.

She rushed in front of Logan to block his way to Scott and slapped him as hard as she could, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He barely responded to the slap as he pointed accusingly at Scott, "No, what the fuck is wrong with YOU! I walk in and see Scott all over you and I'm the bad guy for stopping him?"

"First of all, it's none of your goddamn business who's all over me. Secondly...Scott and I have been together for six months. I'd be pissed if he WASN'T all over me."

Logan's mouth dropped open in shock, "You...and Scooter? I don't...I don't..."

"You don't, what? You don't approve? Do I look like I care?"

Marie rolled her eyes and turned around to check on Scott, whose head had a nasty bruise forming on it. She gently touched his cheek and frowned, "Let's get some ice."

Scott took great pleasure in soaking up Marie's tender loving care in front of a fuming Logan. He'd followed them to the kitchen, growling and muttering the whole way.

He clenched his jaw as he watched Marie step between Scott's legs as he sat on a stool to apply an ice pack to the side of his head. She stroked his cheek with her other hand and sighed, "You ok?"

Scott nodded and glanced over her shoulder at the seething Logan, "Why are you still here?"

"I need to talk to Marie."

She spoke without even turning to look at him. She simply stared down at Scott as she continued to press the ice pack to his head, "We don't have anything to talk about."

Logan's eyebrows scrunched up.

He had accepted that his and Marie's friendship wasn't the same now that he was with Jean...but he was not prepared to see her in Scott's arms.

It suddenly dawned on him that he wouldn't be prepared to see her in _anyone's_ arms.

He sensed Jean approaching and cleared all thoughts of Marie from his head. He'd gotten used to having to hide certain thoughts from her. It wasn't easy having a telepath for a wife.

When Jean entered and took in the scene, she looked at Logan concernedly, "What's going on in here?"

Logan held a hand out toward Marie and Scott, "You wanna tell her or should I?"

Jean looked confused, "Tell me what?"

"Well, darlin'...it seems Marie and Scott here have been hidin' a bit of an affair from everyone for the past six months."

Jean blinked rapidly as Marie stared daggers at Logan. She didn't understand how her emotions for him had gone from admiration and love to intense anger and disdain...but here she was, wishing she could slap him clean across the face again. There was definitely a thin line between love and hate, and Logan had pushed and pulled Marie all over it.

When Jean finally spoke, Marie took note of the shakiness of her voice, "Oh...oh...wow. That's...I don't really know what to say."

Scott stood and took Marie's hand, "We're two _unattached_ adults...and our relationship is our business. Now if you'll excuse us..."

They brushed between Jean and Logan, walking hand in hand. As they walked out, Logan's eyes connected with Marie's for a brief moment before she disappeared out of the room.

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**Surprise! This is why there wasn't an update on Memory and Instinct tonight. Alexmonalisa inspired this plot idea! My awesome readers are the only reason why I don't constantly fall victim to writer's block. You guys rock.**

**Please review and provide feedback!  
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	2. Chapter 2

The day Scott proposed to her, Marie woke up to the distinct sensation of a ring being slipped on her finger. She slowly opened her eyes and immediately felt him kiss her shoulder as he sang to her...

"You're just too good to be true  
Can't take my eyes off of you  
You'd be like heaven to touch  
I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived  
And I thank God I'm alive  
You're just too good to be true  
Can't take my eyes off of you..."

Marie smiled and slowly rolled onto her back before sitting up, "What did I do to deserve this wake up call?"

Scott gently brushed her hair out of her face, then took her left hand and held it up, "You were born."

She raised an eyebrow, "Smooth...you angling for a quickie before class, mister?"

"Take a look at your hand, beautiful."

Marie's eyes slowly fell to her third finger, where a sizeable diamond ring now sat. She gasped and stared at it with widened eyes for what felt like an eternity before she squealed "yes" repeatedly.

Unlike Logan and Jean, Marie and Scott opted for a formal wedding that took place on the mansion grounds.

Logan didn't do a very good job of hiding his disapproval of the situation. He and Jean actually ended up fighting over whether they should attend the wedding. In the end, she went...alone.

She never could deal with his stubbornness.  


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Two years after Jean and Logan's wedding and eighteen months after Marie and Scott's wedding, the two couples were secretly dealing with their fair share of marital issues.

After an initial, 10 month long honeymoon phase, Jean and Logan's relationship slowly but surely became strained.

He was tired of her being so uptight and moody...especially when it came to their sex life. Jean's idea of spontaneity meant that Logan didn't request sex ahead of time. He was also getting tired of her obsession with her weight and overall appearance. She'd lost a few pounds since they got married and he was less than thrilled about it.

Logan was an old fashioned guy. He liked his women curvy, with soft parts to rub and hold onto. He liked a rounded ass, voluptuous, REAL breasts and a soft, but flat stomach.

It wasn't until one summer day when they had taken a group of kids to the beach that he noticed Marie's impressive physique.

He and Jean had laid out a towel just a few feet away from where Marie and Scott were camped out. Jean had gone to play volleyball with Storm and some of the kids, leaving him to entertain himself.

Logan heard Marie say something about going for a swim, so he glanced over just in time to see her pull her cover up over her head, revealing a deliciously curvacious, bikini clad body underneath.

Although he couldn't allow himself to stare for long, he had more than enough material to masturbate to for the next several months whenever Jean told him that she was "too tired".

He was careful not to fantasize about Marie when he was around Jean. On especially difficult nights, after he and Jean had gotten into one of their knock down, drag out fights and he was faced with going to bed without an orgasm, he'd wait until his wife fell asleep and go down to the third level gym.

After working out some of his frustrations lifting weights, he'd go to one of the shower stalls to wash up. Sometime during his shower, he'd take his member in his hand as he allowed visions of Marie to guide him to completion.

When he finished showering, he'd return to bed and lay next to his wife, who wasn't exactly a vision of beauty when she was asleep. Her nightly ritual was more complicated than preparations for a space shuttle take off.

First, she brushed her red hair and pinned it up inside of a silk scarf. Then, she applied a green facial mask that smelled like cucumber and mint...and finally, she'd lotion down her hands and put on weird gloves that she claimed help keep her hands soft.

It was his own fault that he didn't realize how intricate (and odd) her bedtime habits were. She didn't allow him to spend the night with her until after they were married.

A lot of things changed after they got married...

Scott and Marie were having their own problems as well. Scott, being 12 years Marie's senior, wanted to start trying for a baby almost as soon as the ink dried on their marriage license. Marie wasn't ready and told him so, but she found herself constantly having to defend her desire to wait. They fought about it constantly. He seemed so obsessed with the idea of becoming a father, she made sure to hide her birth control pills from him so that he wouldn't throw them away.

Besides the baby issue, Marie was quickly discovering how uptight her husband could be. The man honestly couldn't take a joke.

She lost count of how many arguments they'd gotten into over her innocent taunting. He'd then complain that her sense of humor was too much like Logan's, being crude and slightly inappropriate in manner.

Sometimes, their marriage was downright exhausting.

At times, she wished she hadn't written Logan off. At least she could have someone to laugh with and talk freely to. Although the pain of his perceived abandonment of her was still fresh, she eventually stopped completely ignoring his existence.

She actually gave him a nod or polite smile if they passed each other in the hallway, but they were nowhere near as close as they once were. Marie wasn't sure she could ever allow him to be a close friend again. The hurt was still fresh...even though she was now married to someone else.

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Marie sat on the bed, watching her husband pack for his trip. He traveled often for missions, so she had gotten used to having to be separated from him...but this time was different. He was going on a trip with his ex fiance to London to help run a two week long training exercise for the newly formed X-Force team there.

She sighed as she watched him toss a couple of pairs of pants in his suitcase, "You sure I can't come with you?"

He shook his head, "Baby...you're already going to be covering my classes. If you come, we'll need someone to cover your classes, my classes, Jean's classes...the school needs to function while we're gone."

Marie got up on her knees and crawled to the edge of the bed to grab his collar and kiss him gently on the lips, "I'm gonna miss you."

He grabbed her waist and smirked, "Gonna miss you too. But it's only two weeks. I'll be back before you know it."

He patted her ass and gently moved her away from his suitcase so that he could resume packing.

The next day, Logan and Marie were kissing their prospective spouses goodbye as they loaded onto the jet with Hank, who was also accompanying them for the training. They watched as the hangar doors closed, but soon realized that they were alone in the lower level hallways together.

Logan cleared his throat, "Two weeks isn't a big deal."

Marie nodded and smiled a little, "Yeah. It won't be long..."

She turned to leave, but he quickly called her name, causing her to turn around. It was clear he hadn't been prepared for her to stop, because he stood there stuttering for a second before he finally formed a cohesive sentence, "Did you wanna have dinner later?"

Marie sighed, "No...I'm probably just gonna grab a sandwich or something. Got a busy day tomorrow."

He nodded and tried not to look as disappointed and annoyed as he felt.

A few days ticked by without any incident. She was busy with her own classes and covering Scott's, so whenever she was outside of a classroom, she was trying to grab a bite to eat or on her way back to her room to go to bed.

On that Friday night, she went out with Kitty and Jubilee for dinner and drinks. After finishing off a half a bottle of wine at dinner, she returned to the mansion feeling relaxed and only slightly tipsy.

She said goodbye to Jubilee and Kitty as she walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before she went to bed. Her voice trailed off upon seeing Logan sitting at the island with a bottle of beer in hand.

"Oh...hey Logan."

"Wow, kid...don't hurt yourself with all the excitement."

Marie ignored his snarky remark as she walked over to the refrigerator and took a bottle of water out. Logan groaned and sat his beer on the counter as he crossed his arms and watched her begin to walk out.

He suddenly spoke up, "When are you gonna stop being a total bitch to me?"

She stopped in her tracks and let out a breath as her head drooped. Her judgement was slightly clouded from the wine, so she turned around and decided to say the first thing that popped into her mind, "When it stops hurting."

Logan sat there in stunned silence for several moments after she left. Finally, he was able to recover enough to slowly stand and walk out of the kitchen. He took a long walk around the dark grounds of the mansion, thinking of what she'd just said. He'd already admitted to himself that he was intensely, physically attracted to her, but the revelation that he had hurt her so deeply was a bit of a shock.

He knew she had a crush on him, but had no idea it had developed into something serious enough to keep her hurting two years after he'd decided to pursue a relationship with someone else.

Before he knew it, he was at her door. She answered wearing a robe and wet hair. He could smell that she'd just gotten out of the shower.

"What are you doin' here, Logan?"

He looked her up and down with darkened eyes, "I need to talk to you."

Marie shook her head, "Logan...it's late. You should go."

He grabbed the door handle to prevent her from closing it, "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

She looked away from him and rubbed her forehead, "Look...I had some wine at dinner, so it's obvious I'm not thinking clearly."

Logan groaned and practically pushed his way into the room, causing her to stumble back as he closed the door behind him, "Fuck the wine, Marie. You're just as lucid now as you've ever been. Is that why you completely pushed me outta your life after I took up with Jean?"

Marie backed away and crossed her arms across her chest, "It doesn't matter anymore. Just forget I ever said anything...now would you leave?"

She started to move toward the door to open it, but he grabbed her waist, "You still want me..."

He was taken aback when she suddenly spat in his face, "Fuck you! I hate you! I followed you around like a stupid little puppy dog for years, hoping and praying that one day you'd at least notice me...want me...then you toss me aside for Jean! I hate you!"

Logan shook his head, "You don't hate me baby...you need me...just like I need you..."

Marie put her fists against his chest and tried to push away, but he was too strong, "Get off of me!"

He held her tighter and clenched his teeth as he felt the body he'd long desired pressed against him. Suddenly, his lips came crashing down on hers for a brutal, hungry kiss.

Marie bit down on his lip, immediately forcing him to yell and release her from his tight grip. She took the opportunity to yank away and clamber to the other side of the room.

Logan wiped the small drop of blood off of the healing bite mark and smirked as his eyes traveled down her body. In the struggle, her bathrobe had come open slightly at the top, revealing the curvature of her breasts.

She held out a hand and took a couple of steps back as he advanced on her with darkened eyes, "Stay the fuck away from me."

He didn't seem to hear her, because he ended up unfastening his pants before grabbing her and throwing her onto the bed as she struggled furiously. She smacked and clawed at his face until he grabbed her wrists and slammed them to the mattress on either side of her head.

Logan was preparing to unleash two years worth of pent up sexual aggression on her as he used his knee to nudge her legs apart and lower himself down on top of her.

Through her struggling, he managed to grab both of her wrists in one hand and hold them above her head as he pulled his erection out of his pants.

Her eyes widened as she felt the head of his cock brush against the inside of her thigh, "No! No...stop!"

He leaned down, "If you look me in the eye and tell me you're completely happy...I'll get up and leave right now..."

She stared up at him in silence as her chest heaved from her heavy breathing. He waited for a few moments before maneuvering his hips and suddenly shoving himself inside of her.

Marie arched her back and cried out as his large shaft invaded her tight hole. She immediately noted that he was much bigger than Scott. Logan bared his teeth and began fucking her with deep, powerful thrusts as her body slowly began to relax beneath his. She struggled not to moan...he felt so good and she'd be lying if she said she never fantasized about this moment.

He got lost within the sensation of being inside her and made the mistake of allowing one of her hands to slip out of his grip. She immediately took that opportunity to slap him across the face as hard as she could, causing him to immediately cease all movement as the stinging sensation faded from his cheek.

Logan looked down into her eyes for a moment before thrusting into her one hard time. She bit her lip and looked up at him as he thrust into her again, nearly making her eyes close in ecstasy.

She smirked and slapped him again, prompting him to begin fucking her as hard as he possibly could. Marie cried out in pleasure, but continued pushing and clawing at him, which only worked to excite both of them further.

"Tell me you want me baby...tell me you need this..."

Marie whispered breathlessly, "I hate you! I fucking hate you!"

He grinned mischievously as he continued relentlessly ramming into her. Soon, he was forcing her to orgasm as he roared his way through his own climax.

When he finished spilling himself inside of her, he collapsed on top of her and panted heavily. Marie, who was panting as well, closed her eyes and put a hand on her forehead, silently expressing her disbelief over what they'd just done.

She wordlessly pushed him off of her and rolled onto her side as she covered herself with her robe.

Logan leaned over to touch her shoulder, but as soon as she felt his hand come near her, she violently jerked away, "Get out."

"Marie-"

She suddenly got up and marched to the bathroom, "I'm goin' to go wash this filth off of me...and when I get out, I want you to be gone."

After she slammed the door, he heard her shower start up and stood to straighten out his appearance.

As he made his way to his room, he sighed.

This was far from being over.

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**Review please! I hope you guys are enjoying this! **


	3. Chapter 3

Marie couldn't sleep that night. She was too confused, too angry and too guilty. She ended up getting up at three o'clock in the morning to strip the bedding that she and Logan had contaminated with their sordid encounter.

That at least made her feel a little better...almost as though she had helped erase some evidence of her adultery.

Over the next few days, she tried to go about her business as usual. She managed to avoid Logan for a while, but as soon she saw him walking toward her in the hallway one day, she almost fell apart. She quickly ducked into a nearby closet and leaned over in an effort to catch her breath since, for some reason, she felt like she was about to hyperventilate.

She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair as she slowly straightened and moved to open the door.

When she put her hand on the handle, it was snatched away by someone on the other side opening it. Logan stood there, looking down at her with desire in his eyes. He looked both ways down the hall and stepped into the closet.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, his hands were all over her. She hit him in the chest and tried to push him away until he gripped her body to his. He ran his tongue across her lips and breathed her name as his body trembled in need for her.

She clenched her teeth as she tried not to give in to his advances, "I'll scream."

He smirked in the dim light and backed her up against the shelves as he laid a sensual, hungry kiss to her lips that she couldn't help but return, "I'd be terribly disappointed if you didn't."

Marie was more concerned with getting caught than she was resisting him, so her struggle wasn't nearly as violent as it was their first night together.

Logan ran a hand up the inside of her thigh, causing her to involuntarily spread her legs before he moved her panties to the side and ran his fingers over her moistening slit. He kissed her neck as he stroked her folds, feeling her wetness begin to coat his fingertips.

The moan that escaped her lips told him that she was responding to his actions, so he moved his lips to her mouth for a passionate kiss as he pushed his finger inside of her and began expertly stroking her g spot.

As he broke the kiss to move his lips back to her neck, she gasped and put her head back. She slowly opened her eyes as the vision of her husband's face flashed before her eyes.

She grabbed Logan's wrist in an effort to remove his fingers from between her legs, but he just moved faster.

"Logan! Stop! I can't do this!"

Marie punched his arms as he moved his hand away from her crotch and began unbuttoning his pants. As soon as he shoved himself inside of her, she abruptly stopped resisting and threw her head back as she gripped onto the sides of his arms, holding onto the fabric of his shirt so tight, she was nearly tearing it.

Due to the fact that Logan was so turned on and the fact that she came almost as soon as he entered her, he climaxed just a few thrusts after he pushed inside of her.

Logan panted and laid a gentle kiss against her neck, but she violently squirmed between his body and the shelf, "I can't breathe..."

He looked at her confusedly, "What?"

"I can't breathe! I gotta get outta here! Get me outta here!"

Logan quickly stowed himself away in his pants before opening the door and leading her out of the closet. Thank god there was no one in the hallway.

He led her out onto a balcony, where she ran over to the railing and bent over it, taking greedy gulps of air. He put a hand on her back, but she yanked away from him, "Don't touch me."

When he saw the tears streaming down her face, he leaned in and lowered his voice, "Marie...I know I made the wrong choice now-"

She cut him off and looked at him with cold, wet eyes, "Please. Don't talk to me."

He had no choice to obey her as students began filling the hallways just inside the doorway of the balcony they now stood on. He watched her wipe her face, take a deep breath and walk away.

He left her alone for a couple of days, but that was all he could manage. Late one evening, after tossing and turning, he went to her room and gently knocked on her door. When he didn't get an answer, he walked into her room, which was only lit by the pale moonlight pouring in from her window.

He saw her silhouette on the bed, laying completely still, save for the gentle rise and fall of her chest. When he was beside her bed, he stared down at her sleeping form and gently touched her cheek.

Her head was slightly turned into her pillow and her white and brown hair was still damp from her shower as it lay wild and curled about her head. She didn't wear gloves or a creepy looking mask to bed...she just lay there, a picture of natural beauty.

Logan couldn't bring himself to disturb her, so he left her room just as quietly as he came.

A few days later, their spouses returned. Scott picked Marie up and spun her around before setting her back on her feet and kissing her.

Meanwhile, Jean and Logan exchanged tame kisses and small talk.

Scott jabbered her ear off the entire way back to their room, then continued to tell her about the trip as he unpacked. Marie was ashamed to realize that she was only half listening until he mentioned the name of a specific woman.

"Elizabeth was nice...she and Jean didn't get along though. Probably because they're both telepaths. It's a territorial thing, I guess...but she has the cutest little boy."

Marie nodded slowly. She knew where this conversation was about to go. She listened as Scott continued on about the little boy, "His name is Bradley and he's about three. Really nice kid."

She plopped down onto the bed, "Oh?"

Scott furrowed his eyebrows, "What's the 'oh' for?"

"Scott...you just got back. I know exactly where this conversation is going and I don't want to get into that with you right now."

He groaned and muttered, "Of course you don't."

She stood and walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his midsection and laying her head against his back, "I'm happy you're home..."

As soon as she put her arms around him, she could tell he was completely unresponsive to her affections.

Without a word, he stepped out of her embrace and began walking toward the bathroom. Marie called after him, "Where are you going?"

He spoke over his shoulder, "Long trip. Need a shower."

As he closed the door, she murmured, "Welcome back."

Meanwhile, down the hall, Jean was unpacking as Logan sat in the arm chair with a beer in hand, "So...how was jolly ole London?"

She sucked her teeth a little as she rummaged through her suitcase for a missing shoe, "Fine I guess."

"Make any friends?"

"I wasn't there to make friends, Logan."

He rolled his eyes and took a large gulp of beer. Talking to this woman was like navigating through a mine field. If you hit the wrong subject at the wrong time, you could get your head blown off.

Logan put down his beer, stood and put his hands on her shoulders, "Why don't you leave the unpacking to me and I'll draw you a nice warm bubble bath so I can welcome you back properly?"

She shrugged his hands off a little, "Maybe later. You don't know where anything goes. I'll just have to redo it again later if I let you do it now."

He groaned a little and left the room. Just as he was entering the hallway, Marie was exiting her own room a few feet away, looking just as exasperated as he felt. She immediately turned around and began walking the opposite way down the hall, hoping that he wouldn't follow her.

This time, she made sure not to duck into any dark closets or overly private rooms. She walked into the library and sat on the couch, crossing her arms as she stared at the fire.

Logan entered soon after and took a seat beside her. She stared straight ahead in silence for several moments before almost whispering, "What do you want?"

"You."

That response made her snap her head to the side to look at him, but she recovered and looked away again. She shifted uneasily in her seat, "I'm married."

He stared at her profile for a few seconds before turning his eyes to the fire, "I know that. I am too."

"Then, why?"

Logan sighed, "Because I'm unhappy and I have a feeling you are too...and it's my fault because I made the wrong choice. That's why you're sitting down here in this library instead of upstairs with your husband having 'welcome home' sex the way a normal couple should."

She leaned over and whispered, "I'm sorry you're unhappy Logan, but I love my husband. You had your opportunity, ok? You made your choice and now you have to live with it. What went down when Scott and Jean were in London never happened. Just put it out of your mind."

With that, she stood and marched out of the room.

* * *

Marie's determination to remain faithful to her husband and keep all thoughts of Logan at bay almost held out...until she got into another big fight with Scott.

He'd bought her what appeared to be jewelry, but when she opened the velvet box, she found a basal body temperature thermometer...but at the time, she had no idea what it was.

She smiled confusedly, "Uhhh...what's this honey?"

"It's a basal body temperature thermometer..."

Her face immediately fell, "It's a what?"

"It charts fertility...I figured since we're coming up on two years..."

She threw the thermometer at his feet, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

He groaned and grabbed up the thermometer, "You're so fucking selfish!"

"_I'M_ selfish? You knew how old I was before we got married, Scott! I told you I wasn't ready and I'm tired of feeling like my body's under attack every time we have sex! You're obsessed!"

"Well you knew how old I was when we got married too, Marie. You knew I wanted to have kids sooner than later!"

She groaned and clenched her fists, "When you said you wanted kids, I thought you meant four or five years...not as soon as the ceremony was over!"

He paced and crossed his arms over his chest, "When do you think you'll be ready then, huh? What are you waiting for? You need to give me a good reason!"

"No! I don't! I don't have to write you a fucking dissertation over why I'm not ready to get pregnant! The fact that I tell you I'm not ready should be good enough!"

Scott glared, "You've been claiming you weren't ready for almost 19 months! When is this mysterious 'I'm not ready' excuse all of the sudden gonna disappear? I'm 36, Marie...I don't want to end up taking my kid to the movies and qualifying for the senior citizens discount."

She shook her head helplessly and crossed her arms. She didn't know what else to say.

He laughed bitterly and shook his head, "Fine...if that's how you're gonna be..."

Scott grabbed his jacket and walked to the door, but she rushed behind him and grabbed his arm, "Where are you going?"

He snatched out of her grasp, "I can't be here right now."

And he was gone, slamming the door behind him.

At that moment, she wished she was with Logan. She knew she wouldn't have to constantly fight over not wanting to have a baby...she could just enjoy hours of mind blowing sex.

When she went to the garage, she found that her husband's car was gone and that Logan was busy working on his bike.

She turned to leave, but he smelled her. He spoke without looking up from his work, "Lookin' for someone, kid?"

"My husband", she replied curtly.

Logan spoke casually as he wiped his hands on a rag hanging out of his pocket, "He blew outta here pretty quick a few minutes ago. He was an even bigger ass than usual...something got him upset?"

"That's none of your business."

He smirked and looked her up and down, "So I've heard."

"Stop looking at me like that."

He held up his hands, "Like what?"

She murmured and looked away, "Like you've seen me naked."

Logan tried to suppress the smug grin that threatened to spread across his lips as he stood and took off his tank top.

Her eyes widened upon seeing his awe inspiring chest, "What are you doing?"

"It's hot."

"Sure it is...where's your wife?"

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Somewhere...on her broom, capturing small children for her dinner."

Marie couldn't help but laugh genuinely at that comment. In response to her melodic giggle, he smiled and stared at her. Jean never looked as bright and carefree as Marie did at any moment...especially that one.

As her laughter died down, she bit her lip and looked around, "I should go..."

He nodded reluctantly and watched as her perfectly round ass disappeared from view.

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**So...what do you think? Please provide reviews and feedback folks! **


	4. Chapter 4

Much to Logan's chagrin, he didn't have the opportunity to get Marie alone for several weeks...but that didn't stop him from sneakily reminding her of what she was missing at every tiny opportunity.

It all started when they got stuck working the registration table on the opening day of the new semester. Jean and Scott had recruited their spouses to do so without any knowledge that the other would be working.

When Marie arrived at the table with an armful of paperwork, her mouth dropped open slightly, "What are you doing here?"

He smirked, "Staying outta the dog house. What are you doing here?"

"My job...scooch over."

Logan obeyed and watched her intently as she set up the paperwork and began decorating the table. Halfway through her work, she glanced at him, "You _could_ get off your ass and help me."

"And you _could_ meet me in the nearest storage closet..."

She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice to an angry whisper, "Don't start that crap with me, Logan."

After dealing with a large influx of new students in the morning, things quieted down by around lunch time. They were left at the table underneath the carpool, alone, with no cars in sight.

He groaned and leaned back, "How much longer do we have to be here?"

"You can leave. I've got it covered from here."

Logan raised a brow, "And leave you all alone? Hell no."

He watched her face as he reached beneath the table and gripped her thigh, causing her to jump and stand. She hit him on the arm and rushed away, "You are such an asshole."

She made a beeline for the nearest bathroom and ducked in, closing and locking the door behind her. Marie bit her lip and leaned against the wall as she unbuttoned her pants and pushed her hand inside.

That small touch was enough to make her wet...

After a small orgasm and a few minutes, she walked out of the bathroom to find Logan standing on the opposite side of the wall, smirking, "Enjoy yourself?"

Marie walked past him, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He grabbed her waist and yanked her close as he whispered in her ear, "I can smell how much you want me."

She punched him in the chest and snatched away, "You're twisted."

He called after her, "I am...in knots!"

He knew that, at that moment, if anyone heard what he said, they wouldn't have understood the correlation.

A few weeks later, Jean, Scott, the professor and Hank left to attend the first annual Coalition for Mutant Rights Conference in Washington DC. It was a place where the world's top mutant advocates and diplomats would gather to discuss mutant issues, present case studies, explore the latest in mutant medicinal breakthroughs and promote mutant friendly businesses and organizations, such as schools, learning centers and job placement agencies.

Jean and Hank were set to present a medical presentation while Scott and the professor were serving as representatives for the school in hopes of attracting new teachers and students.

Marie found it odd that Scott was actually being affectionate and attentive toward her in the weeks leading up to his departure, but she just chocked it up to the fact that he was trying to make up for being such an asshole recently.

Almost as soon as their spouses were gone, Logan was practically chasing Marie around the mansion. He had backed her into the corner of her classroom after hours, attacking her neck with his mouth.

She slapped him and pushed him away, "Would you stop it? I'm tired of this! I'm tired of having to stop you and push you away and remind you of how much I love my husband! I'm tired! You hear me?"

His chest heaved as he clenched his teeth, "You don't want him, Marie...I know it."

Marie practically shoved him out of the way and ran out of the room full speed. She immediately went to the garage, got in her car and left the mansion. She pulled out of the driveway, driving to no particular destination...she just knew she needed to get away from Logan.

She took the time to think about her predicament and lamented about how much she missed the very early stages of she and Scott's relationship. Before the baby drama...and before the Logan drama.

By the time she finally returned to the mansion, she was irrationally angry and more conflicted than she'd ever been in her life. On one hand, she didn't want to keep cheating on her husband. On the other hand, she was horny and no one else had ever given it to her as good as Logan had...

She was angry at Logan, too. Angry at him for being so dense, that he was just now figuring out that she was the right woman for him.

Well, duh. She could have told him that years ago when she was busy fixing his meals, doing his laundry and watching hockey with him while Jean was turning her nose up at his favorite foods and sports. Come to think of it..how could he have made such an obvious mistake?

It didn't matter now. At this second, she was horny and angry...which proved to be a dangerous combination, seeing as how she ended up at his room door.

When she barged into his room, he quickly sat up and had to keep himself from unsheathing his claws in his surprise. He'd been in bed, on the brink of sleep so he was wearing nothing more than his boxer briefs.

"Holy fuck! You can't just burst in here like that! I coulda killed you!"

Marie locked the door behind her and began stalking toward him as she yanked her jacket off and began unbuttoning her blouse.

He smiled, "What are you doin'?"

"Just shut up..."

After unbuttoning and removing her pants, she practically tackled him against the bed as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Logan couldn't get his underwear down fast enough before she reached down, grabbed a hold of his member and pushed him inside of her.

She closed her eyes and threw her head back as she began rolling her hips on top of him.

Marie whispered breathlessly through clenched teeth, "Is this what you wanted Logan?" Hmm? You wanted to fuck my brains out?"

Her movements were surprisingly rough and powerful. He wasn't sure about being so blatantly dominated, so he quickly gripped her waist and turned her over before he began fucking her with an intensity she'd never experienced before.

He growled and licked at her neck, "Do you love me, Marie?"

She bit her lip and looked up into his eyes as she moaned in ecstasy, "No.."

His thrusts grew deeper and more violent to emphasize his point as he spoke, "Then I'll fuck you till you do..."

Minutes later, after he'd pushed her to her most intense orgasm yet, she laid next to him, naked. He leaned over to kiss her bare breast before she suddenly sat up on the edge of the bed to begin collecting her nearby discarded clothing.

He scooted forward and kissed her shoulder blade, "What are you doin'?"

She didn't look at him as she spoke, "Going to my room..."

Logan flinched slightly as she stood to pull on her pants.

"Wait...don't we need to talk about this?"

She stood and distracted him with the sight of her bare breasts before putting her bra on and grabbing her shirt, "No. It's already bad enough we did it. Why fuck it up further with words? I'm married and so are you...that's not gonna change."

He scooted to the edge of the bed, "But we-"

She held up a hand, "There is no _'we'_, alright? You had your chance, you blew it...this is all you get, if that."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're going to stop messing with me and following me around with your tongue out. I'm not leaving my husband for you."

He wrapped the sheet around his waist and stood, "You refuse to leave him, but you're OK with fucking someone else?"

Marie scoffed as she buttoned up her shirt, "I'm not OK with it at all! I haven't been able to sleep since the first time we fucked."

He dropped the sheet and approached her in all of his naked glory, "So why don't you stop?"

Damn...who could resist what he was offering her right now?

As she allowed hi to undress her for yet another mind blowing sexual encounter, she thought about his question.

Why didn't she stop?

She didn't want to tell him that it was because she enjoyed being with him a hundred times more than she enjoyed being with her husband...that it was because she loved having sex with him...that it was because he would always be the** one.**

**

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Review! Yay! Two updates in one night! Early Christmas present for you guys!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**I should mention that the mutant "Doug" that appears in this chap is an actual Marvel character from the X Men comic book series. I didn't make (or his abilities) up. All credit to the great Marvel kings. **

* * *

Storm walked into Marie's office carrying a file, "Got a new recruiting lead for you."

Marie picked up the file the weather witch dropped on her desk and opened it, reading aloud, "Semi-clairvoyant...semi-telepathic...if he comes here, you better tell Jean it was your idea. You know how sensitive her telepathic toes can be."

Storm nodded and motioned toward the bottom of the file, "I will...keep reading..."

She continued reading aloud, "Intuitively translates any language he comes into contact with...including spoken, computer and body languages. Wow. This is impressive."

Storm almost rubbed her hands together in delight, "He's rather handsome, too."

Marie smirked and set the file down, "Is now the best time for me to go jetting off on some recruiting trip in St. Louis? Half of the staff is in DC and my other half is the one who usually accompanies me on these trips."

"You have to move now. This guy is practically a nomad and he's already been at his current address for a year. He's working for a software company and I'm sure he's getting restless. There's no telling when he'll move next or where to. Peter, Kitty and I can hold down the fort this weekend. Logan can go with you."

Marie wanted to object, but instead, she slowly nodded, "Ok..."

Storm smiled, "Perfect. I'll book your hotel."

When Storm informed Logan of his trip to St. Louis with Marie, he was over the moon and worked hard not to show it. He wondered why Marie would agree to such a thing since she was so insistent on keeping her distance from him.

* * *

As soon as they arrived in St. Louis, they rented a car and made their way to the address Storm provided. It turned out to be a mediocre looking apartment complex.

Marie gathered up her brief case and walked to the door with Logan. A tall, fair haired young man answered the door, "Can I help you?"

"Doug?" The man nodded slowly before she smiled politely and extended her hand, "Hey, you spoke on the phone with Storm from Xavier's School for the Gifted? I'm Marie and this is Logan."

Doug's eyebrows raised in realization, "Oh, right. Come on in." He opened the door further and motioned toward the couch, "Have a seat."

Almost as soon as Marie and Logan sat next to each other on Doug's couch, he chuckled a little and shook his head. Marie furrowed her eyebrows, "Everything alright?"

"I'm sure Storm told you about my mutation. I can translate any language...including body language...and you two have a very distinct vibe."

Marie opened her mouth to put the kibosh on the conversation before Doug found out too much concerning the nature of their relationship, but Logan sat forward a little, "What kinda vibe?"

Doug smirked, "Well, she's the one who's easiest to understand. She feels very strongly for you. Her body has an intense desire for you, but I can't tell you how her mind feels...she's got some very effective blockers up and my telepathy isn't really powerful, but something about the way she's looking at you tells me her mind might not be quite on board with her body."

She cleared her throat, "Right, well...let's talk about the school, ok?"

Doug sat down in the arm chair across from him, "Sure."

Logan sat back and crossed his arms as Marie pulled out all of her literature and began telling him about the school.

Halfway through her mini-presentation, he stood and offered them something to drink. Marie shook her head and Logan declined as well as Doug disappeared into the kitchen.

As soon as Doug was out of sight, Marie slapped Logan's thigh, causing him to cringe and suppress a yell, "Ow! What was that for?"

She whispered urgently, "Stop with the body language!"

He held his hands up, "I'm not the one he was able to read so easily, kid. Maybe you need to cool it."

She silently glared at Logan as Doug returned with his glass of water, "Sorry, but you guys are really distracting me with all of this...interaction. I'm really curious...are you guys married?"

Marie sighed and sat back, "Not to each other."

Doug laughed and ran both hands through his hair, "Whoa...this keeps getting better and better!"

She let out an exasperated sigh, "Can we get back to talking about the school?"

He held up a hand, "Say no more. I'm in."

Marie raised her eyebrows, "Really?"

Doug nodded, "I'm tired of corporate America. It'll be good to inspire the youth...or whatever. Besides that, I'm really interested in this soap opera you guys are living."

After Doug agreed to leave with them the following day, Marie and Logan went back to their hotel. Before they went up to their room, they ate dinner at the hotel restaurant.

He stared across the table at her for several moments before she finally looked up, "Staring is really rude, ya know."

"So your body wants me..."

"Oh Christ...here we go."

Marie pulled some money out of her wallet and tossed it on the table as he raised his hands, "Where are you goin'?"

"To bed. Goodnight, Logan."

He watched her get up and leave, then left himself shortly afterward. He stopped at her room, which was directly next to his, and leaned in to listen. He heard her finish up a conversation with what had to be Scott.

"Yeah...I'm just about to get in the shower...I feel fine...why do you keep asking me that?...Well, that's sweet...thanks baby...OK...I'll call you when we're on our way back...Love you too...bye."

Logan listened further as she moved around the room. Soon, he heard the sound of water running. As he eyed the lock of her hotel room door, he looked up and down the hallway, searching for other people and security cameras. When he spotted one down the hallway, he turned his back to it and unsheathed one adamantium claw before sliding it into the card lock and swiping it sideways.

He smirked as he heard the lock click open.

Soon, he was inside of her room and undressing as he made his way to her bathroom. By the time he reached her shower, he was fully naked.

As expected, she screamed when he pulled back the shower curtain, but he cut her off by clapping a hand over her mouth and backing her up against the shower wall. He smirked and uncovered her mouth, "Surprised to see me?"

"What gave it away? The bloodcurdling scream? Get out of here!"

When she saw the way he eyed her naked body, she knew he wasn't going anywhere...and dammit...she didn't want him to.

Logan smiled. He loved her sarcastic, quick witted sense of humor.

He leaned down and hungrily kissed her lips as she moaned and bit at his bottom lip. Logan ran his thumb over her hardening nipples, then allowed his hand to guide down to her crotch before pushing his finger inside of her.

She moaned and arched her back, "You fucking asshole."

"I'm just giving your body what it wants..."

He suddenly spun her around and pressed her up against the shower wall before pushing himself into her from behind. Logan reached around and began rubbing her clit as he pumped into her with deep, lustful strokes.

Marie moaned as her hands slipped down the damp shower wall. He quickly grabbed her hand and intertwined her fingers in his as he whispered her name repeatedly. Surprisingly enough, they were actually making love this time, instead of fucking like wild animals like they had done the past few times they'd had sex.

Logan leaned forward and kissed at her neck, "Marie...Marie...I need you..."

All he would get in reply was a breathless whisper that announced her impending orgasm. As he felt her muscles clench around him, he gripped her hips and began frantically pumping into her.

Soon after, he spilled himself inside of her and cried out, "Oh fuck yeah baby..."

After they rinsed off, Marie stumbled to bed, panting.

Logan collapsed next to her with a satisfied smile on his face. They lay in blissful silence for a few moments before Logan rolled over and stroked her face. He was happy to see that she didn't flinch or snatch away this time.

"Talk to me, Marie."

She looked at him, "What do you mean?"

He gently caressed her body, "Why aren't you happy? What's going on in your marriage?"

"That's a little too personal...I mean...what if I asked you what's going on in your marriage?"

Logan was amazed he was able to still speak in the presence of her naked body. He continued running his hand over her exposed flesh as he spoke, "Then I'd tell you that Jean's not the woman I thought she was. She's cold, short tempered and has absolutely no sense of humor. I don't smile with her...not like I was much of a smiler before..."

Marie laughed softly and looked into his eyes as he continued, "...but I smiled with you, kid. You're the only one who's ever been able to make me laugh..."

She looked away and cleared her throat, "Well...I'm sorry..."

"Your turn."

Marie bit her lip, "I dunno..."

"Wow. You're really gonna leave me hanging like that? After I spilled my guts to you?"

She sat up and pulled on her bathrobe as he groaned and rolled to the edge of the bed. He pulled on his jeans, "I guess I deserve this. It is my fault that we're both married to the wrong people after all..."

Marie tied the tie on her robe and stayed facing away from him as he pulled his shirt on and stared at her back. He shook his head and grabbed up his shoes as he walked to the door and left.

Hours later, as he lay staring up at the ceiling of his room, he wondered what had gone wrong in Marie and Scott's marriage...besides the fact that she was married to Scott.

For the past year, he'd watched them together and, like he and Jean, they looked like anything but a happy couple. They looked uncomfortable and uncertain around each other...just the way he did with his wife.

A small knock on the door broke him out of his train of thought.

When he opened the door, he found Marie there, in her robe, chewing on her lip. After she walked in, he closed the door behind her.

As soon as he turned around to ask her what was wrong, she suddenly wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed him tenderly. When the kiss drew to a slow, soft close, she nuzzled her nose with his as her lips continued to brush against his mouth.

She whispered softly, "I don't want to have his baby..."

He looked into her eyes confusedly, "What?"

"Scott and me...I'm not ready to have his child and he's pressuring me...that's what's wrong in our marriage..." She pulled away and stroked the back of his neck gently as she looked into his eyes. "But I love him...and he was there for me when you weren't...I don't think I can bring myself to abandon him the way you did me..."

After a few seconds, she reluctantly slipped out of his embrace and left his room to return to her own.

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**What do you think? Please continue to provide feedback! As always, I know where I'm going, but I'd like to hear where you THINK it's going! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A reviewer brought up some very good questions concerning the dynamic of the relationships within this story, and I felt the need to address them because they really were good points. (I love it when you guys raise questions! It keeps me vigilant in my storytelling and more thorough when it comes to details). **

**notashamedtobesoilyfan wrote that Logan doesn't seem to be an affair-having type and under normal circumstances, I would fully agree, but, of course, Marie will make Logan do a lot of things in my fics ;-). **

**I believe that this Logan still feels for Jean, but it's more that he felt obligated her...it's no longer real love or like...(at this point even the lust is waning) - the reason for this has yet to be revealed. That feeling of obligation is starting to fade with time. I am very surprised no one asked any questions concerning their quickie courthouse wedding...read on for some interesting revelations!**

* * *

Logan and Marie returned to Doug's apartment the following day to find him busy packing and on the phone with his landlord. He let them in and held up a finger to signal that he would be off shortly.

"I understand that but I need to leave today...well this is what happens when you rent to a tenant on a month-to-month basis...no...are you kidding me? I'm not letting you keep nine hundred bucks for a completely undamaged apartment! I need my security deposit back!...no...fine!"

Doug groaned as he hung up the phone and slung in onto the chair. Logan raised a brow, "Bad news?"

He nodded and sighed as he went over to a box and taped it up, "My landlord has to perform this check off list when each tenant moves out to make sure the apartment didn't sustain any damage during my time here...once he does the walk through, he'll refund my security deposit."

Marie spoke up, "Can't you just let him do it after you leave?"

Doug scoffed, "This guy would scam the pope for five bucks. I'm sure some hole in the wall would magically appear out of nowhere once I'm gone and cost $899 to repair."

Logan put his hands on his hips, "So that's a no..."

Marie ran a hand through her hair, "Crap...what now?"

"Would you guys really mind waiting til tomorrow? It's just another day. St. Louis is pretty cool. You can take in the sights. I know you've never been here before."

Marie narrowed her eyes, "How did you know that?"

He smirked, "People who are in new, unfamiliar places always have the same body language."

After agreeing to wait until tomorrow before leaving, they left Doug's apartment and went to lunch at a nearby restaurant he suggested. During their meal, they continued eyeing each other from across the table.

"Something on your mind?" she asked.

He shook his head and cleared his throat, "No..."

She leaned over, "You really need to work on the staring thing."

"Why? Cause it's rude?"

Marie averted her eyes and straightened out the napkin on her lap, "No...cause it confuses me..."

His eyebrows raised in surprise, but he said nothing. After finishing lunch, they took a tour boat ride beneath the Gateway Arch, then returned to their hotel.

Logan showered and sat on the bed, searching for something to watch on television. Since it was the late afternoon, all her could find was soap operas and talk shows...not exactly his cup of tea. He plopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling for some time before he decided to get on the phone and call his wife.

After a few rings, he heard her answer, "Hello?"

"Hey baby, it's me."

She sounded less than thrilled to hear his voice, "Oh. Hey Logan. Is something wrong?"

"No. Just calling to check on you."

"Is there a real reason to this call?"

He rolled his eyes, "I just thought you'd want to hear from your husband...since we hadn't spoken since you left for DC four days ago."

Logan heard her suck her teeth on the other end, "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm busy with more important things."

"Wow."

That was bitchy even for Jean standards...and she must've realized it, because she suddenly started stammering, "Logan...I didn't mean it like that-"

"No, it's fine. I won't bother you. Go handle more important things...don't let your fuck up of a husband distract you. I'll see you back in Westchester."

***click***

He eventually got up and went to Marie's room. She answered the door and looked at him in silence as he stepped in past her. She closed the door and turned around, "What's up?"

Logan didn't say anything, he just grabbed her face and kissed her lovingly. She started to pull out of his grasp, but he whispered, "Marie...I know you want this...you already said you're not going to leave your husband and I understand that...just this once, I need to feel like you need me just as I need you...please give that to me."

She looked up into his eyes as he stroked both sides of her face with his thumbs. He took in a sharp breath as he felt her trembling fingers unbutton his shirt and open it before pulling it off of his shoulders.

As she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, her eyes stayed glued to his in a silent expression of relent to him.

He slowly picked her up and carried her to the bed before laying her down and kissing her passionately as he stripped her out of her clothes. She shuddered as he trailed kisses down to her soft, quivering stomach before he gently coaxed her legs apart and dipped his face between her thighs.

Marie gasped and gripped the sheets as he licked up the entire length of her slit. She slowly allowed her fingers to reach down and play through his hair as he gently sucked on her clit, then pushed his tongue inside of her.

She was lost in ecstasy as she slowly began undulating her hips upward in tune with his licks.

When she softly whispered, "Oh god...Logan...", he stopped and kissed the inside of her thigh before crawling back up her body and resting between her open legs.

He looked down at her, "Put me inside of you Marie...I wanna know you want it."

Marie let her hand run down his chest and stomach to grip his thick member. She raised her hips as she guided him toward her entrance, giving him the only invitation he needed to thrust forward and bury himself to the hilt inside of her.

She arched and put her head back, gasping in pleasure as he laid a few soft kisses to her neck, "You feel so good..."

Logan's strokes were slow, but deep and powerful as he drove into her. He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered her name as he felt her nails rake up and down his back, leaving red marks that were quick to fade against his skin.

After several moments, she twisted her hips slightly, signaling that she wanted to get on top. He hesitated for a moment before he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. She quickly sat up and threw her hair back as she began rolling her hips in slow, torturously pleasurable circles.

Logan gripped onto her hips and clenched his teeth as he closed his eyes and moaned, "Ah fuck baby...cum for me..."

Marie leaned down and kissed him hungrily, which simultaneously sent them shooting sky high in a powerful, shuddering orgasm. He cried out and wrapped her up in a desperate embrace as he shot strand after strand of hot semen inside of her.

She panted and relaxed against him as she laid her head on his chest and breathed out.

For several moments, she laid on top of him, drawing little invisible designs on his bicep as he continued to idly caress her back and lay random kisses against her hair.

She felt the deep rumble of his voice against her ear as it laid against his chest, "I didn't tell you the whole story of me and Jean's relationship."

Marie blinked slowly and spoke without raising her head. She was far too tired and too relaxed to move unless extenuating circumstances presented themselves.

She suddenly felt him stop stroking her back as he muttered, "It was all a mistake...a big mistake..."

_Oh shit...that sounds like extenuating circumstances..._

Marie furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity and raised her head to look into his eyes, "A mistake? What's that supposed to mean?"

Logan stroked her cheek, "You know I always had feelings for you, right kid?"

Marie looked down as she allowed her hair to fall into her eyes before she slowly whispered, "I thought I knew that...then-"

"Then I came to your room and told you that Jean and I were together. I know it was sudden and I'm sorry for that, but I didn't really have much of a choice..." He stopped talking when Marie rolled off of him and began putting on her bathrobe. He sat up and looked at her, "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to rehash this Logan...I can't. You stomped on my heart, it's over. Let's leave it at that, ok?"

He pulled on his underwear and walked over to her, "But that's not all that happened, kid...didn't you think me and Jean's relationship was a little too out of the blue? Weren't you a little surprised when Jean, of all people, settled for a quickie wedding at city hall?"

He had a point there. Jean _did_ seem like the type of woman who would plan a wedding that would rival Princess Diana's.

Marie narrowed her eyes, "I guess I was too wrapped up in my own heartache..." Logan let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair before turning away from her and shaking his head. She tied the rope on her robe and took a few steps forward, "What don't I know?"

Logan turned back to look into her eyes and sighed before allowing his eyes to fall to the floor, "I got Jean pregnant..."

Suddenly it felt like there wasn't enough air in the room and far too much heat. Her chest heaved as she spoke between little gasps of air, "You...you what? I don't...I don't understand..."

He sunk down into a nearby chair and clasped his hands together, "She and Scott were going through a rough patch...not really talking...not having sex...and you know I had a little thing for her."

Logan looked down at his hands, "I guess-no, I know I took advantage of that. Now I realize how wrong that was." He watched her face for reaction, but was encouraged to see that she didn't look completely disgusted with him as he continued, "A few weeks later, she told me she was pregnant. We both knew it wasn't Scott's because, like I mentioned, they hadn't been having sex. I kept praying she had read the test wrong...I didn't want to be with her. I never did, but she was having my baby and I needed to finally do the right thing, so, we got together, then had a quickie wedding...less than three weeks after we got married...she lost the baby."

Marie covered her mouth and looked away as she slowly paced the room. This would explain why their relationship just popped out of the blue...it would also explain why high-class Jean ended up settling for a quickie wedding at city hall.

"After that, she was really broken up and I knew it was all my fault...so I stay with her because I feel too guilty to leave. She's only staying with me because she doesn't want to be alone...and she knows Scott probably wouldn't leave you for her."

She crossed her arms and looked at him, "I had no idea...does Scott know?"

He shook his head, "No." He sat forward a little, "In retrospect, I deserved every bit of the punishment you gave me. I shouldn't have taken advantage of Jean when she was so vulnerable just for a quickie...and I should have waited for you."

To his surprise, Marie smirked briefly, "Jean had been with Scott for five years and managed to avoid getting pregnant...but one night with you did the trick?"

Logan shrugged a little and playfully raised a brow, "Well...I am the Wolverine."

After a few moments of silence, Marie's smile fell as she turned away, "I don't know if you're expecting this to change anything-"

He held up a hand and stood, "I know that if I'd been less of a horny bastard, we wouldn't be in this mess...I felt I owed you the truth. I just don't want you to hate me anymore."

"I earned the right to hate you. I don't wanna let that go. You hurt me too bad...you're still hurting me."

He darkened a bit and took a few more steps up behind her. She could feel his presence overwhelming her as she closed her eyes and listened to his deep whisper, "Marie...don't hate me..."

Marie smirked as she felt his hands snake around her waist from behind, "Why not? Hate is a tempting emotion...full of conflict...and passion. Some say that hate is the closest emotion to love that there is...it may be the closest to love _we_ ever get..."

Logan took a shaky breath as he reached inside of her robe to cup her mound, which was still damp from their most recent encounter. When he heard her moan, he went crazy, violently spinning her around and practically throwing her up against the nearest wall.

She let out a small grunt as her back made contact with the wall. He ripped open her robe, grabbed her leg and raised it around his waist as he yanked down his underwear.

"If hate is the closest we can get to love..." he roughly shoved himself inside of her as he bared his teeth, "...then I'm gonna make you hate me real good..."

Marie let out a soft moan each time he drove into her, which only helped encourage him to increase the intensity of his thrusts.

He licked at her neck as he gripped her ass, "Tell me you hate me baby...do it..."

She whispered breathlessly through clenched teeth as he brutally fucked her against the wall, "I hate you..."

Logan looked into her eyes as she said it. He knew at that moment, that she was lying. Her eyes were saying the exact opposite of what she was saying with her mouth. Even her tone of voice was completely unconvincing.

Somewhere in his mind, he figured if what she said was true about hate being so close to love, he would hear her say "I love you" if he tried to make her say "I hate you" again.

"Say it again, baby..." he commanded as he gave her an extra hard thrust to incite obedience at his request.

"I-I"

"Go ahead! Say it! Convince me!"

"I-I...I...I can't!"

Despite the fact that he felt the familiar, intense feeling of her orgasm around him as he came, he watched tears roll down her cheeks as she rode the waves of her climax. She whimpered softly, "I can't..."

He whispered breathlessly and ran a hand through her hair as he kissed away her tears, "You don't hate me...do you Marie?"

She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes, "I don't know..."

* * *

**Thanks to all of you reviewers! Please keep it coming! Review please! I know this chap was super intense! Thank my son for allowing me to get it done! He took an extra long nap today!**

**Also, I'm going to start making select chapters "Ask Anything" chapters. This means that when you review this specific chap, you can attach a question to your review and I will answer it honestly. Nothing is off limits EXCEPT my personal info, such as: real name, address, phone number, exact birth date- you get the idea. I will include answers in my next chap update!  
**

**So go ahead! Review and ask anything!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ryromaniac: I will be finishing Eyes Like His soon, but I'm in an angsty mood right now and that's all-fluff, lol. **

**SophieB: No worries! I deleted the duplicate reviews, it's ok! Answer to your question: I will definitely give thought to your plot suggestion. Thanks for the idea!**

**notashamedtobesoilyfan, Nicki-hunny: Read on! You get the answers to your questions in this chap.**

**dulcesweet: Scott isn't sterile, but that would have been funny!  
**

* * *

The following day, when Logan and Marie arrived back in Westchester with Doug, Storm met them out front. She politely introduced herself to the new arrival and took him into the mansion to show him his new digs and get him settled.

Logan and Marie were left standing beneath the carport, alone. They looked at each other for a long time before he walked to the back of the car to open the trunk and get out their bags. He set her suitcase on the ground and pulled up the handle to hand it to her.

"Thanks", she murmured as she did everything in her power to keep her eyes off of his.

Just when she thought she was home free, he took her elbow and pulled her back and whispered into her ear, "Whenever you can get away...you know where to find me."

With that, he released her and let her walk back to her room. When she opened her door, she was relieved to have a moment to herself to collapse on her bed and cry, but Scott emerged from the bathroom with a bright smile on his face, "Hey baby."

Marie's eyes widened as she subconsciously opened her arms to received the hug he was favoring her with, "H-hey...what are you doing home so soon? I thought you weren't coming back for another couple of days."

"Well yeah...I wanted to come home and be with you..." He looked into her eyes and took her hands, "I know I haven't been the best husband...but I'm going to try harder from now on..."

She found it odd that she had to concentrate in order to make her smile appear genuine, "That's wonderful honey...thank you."

He pulled her back into an embrace and slowly began kissing her neck. She patted his hands and gingerly pulled away, "Gimme a quick minute to wash all of this travel grime off of me, ok?"

Scott nodded and watched as she walked into the bathroom. As soon as she closed the bathroom door, he grabbed up her purse and rummaged through it for her birth control packet. When he found it he took it out and glanced toward the bathroom door to make sure he heard the shower start up. He couldn't get caught with his hand in the cookie jar...

He walked over to his nightstand and pulled out a small lock box that had a divider inside of it. On one side sat her actual birth control pills, on the other side sat an identical packet of placebo (sugar pills).

In order to get the placebo packet to look identical to her real birth control, he'd cut the brand name sticker off with an exacto knife and attached it to the sugar pill packet.

He'd been substituting her birth control pills for placebo for the past two months, but he knew it could take up to three for her body to regulate itself and for her to get pregnant.

It was his own, personal covert ops mission. He kept track of her cycle on his calendar and had estimated that she would be ovulating during the next few days, which would was the real reason why he came a little early.

Scott opened the packet he'd just taken out of her purse and smirked. She still had two weeks worth of sugar pills left...which would place her smack dab in the middle of her ovulating cycle.

He put the packet back in her purse and undressed before climbing into bed and waiting for her to come out of the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Marie was in the bathroom, desperately trying to cover a bruise she had gotten during one of she and Logan's vigorous encounters. She spread some concealer on it and thought up a quick lie to give him about accidentally running into a stair rail at the hotel just in case the make up came off.

She slipped into a nightgown and entered the bedroom to find her husband there, eagerly waiting for her. The guilt weighing down on her was almost debilitating.

Marie smiled nervously and approached the bed as he sat up, grabbed her waist and flung her onto the bed. She tried to get into it, but in the end, she had to close her eyes and envision Logan to get through it.

When Scott came, he grunted loudly in her ear as she stared at the ceiling and cringed at his erratic, final thrusts.

He rolled off of her and kissed her cheek as she pulled the sheet over her body and breathed out, "Phew...I missed you, baby."

She smiled and sat up, "I missed you too."

Scott stopped her as she started to get out of bed, "Where are you goin'?"

"I wanted to go get something to drink."

He winked as he watched her put on her nightgown and bathrobe, "Don't be long baby...this was just the beginning of our night."

The smile she favored him with turned uncertain as soon as she was out of sight.

On her way down to the kitchen, she ran into Logan, "Oh...hey."

He started to smile, but when got closer to her, his face scrunched up and he backed away, "Scott's back?"

"Storm told you?"

"No. I can smell him on you..." he grumbled as he eyed her.

Her voice was small and quiet...almost as if she felt guilty for having sex with her own spouse, "He _is_ my husband."

Logan said no more before he brushed past her and walked down the hall. He went to the quiet lower level gym and immediately strapped on a pair of boxing gloves. He beat the unsuspecting punching bag as hard as he could, grunting and crying out in anger and anguish with each strike.

He soon worked himself into a helpless exhaustion and hit the bag one last time, roaring out as it flung off its stand and flew across the room. He snatched off the boxing gloves and threw them across the room as hard as he could before leaning back against the wall and sinking down to the floor.

Logan rested his forearms against his knees and looked down as he panted. He wanted to be the one with her...making love to her every night. He hated that the one mistake he made with Jean was enough to snatch away the life's happiness of four people.

* * *

As weeks ticked by, Marie and Logan were unable to have any time alone together. She was so lucky Scott was completely oblivious to her moods and feelings...he would have immediately noticed the longing glances in Logan's direction or her distance when they made love.

Logan, having been emboldened by Jean's inexcusably bitchy behavior, confronted her about her attitude toward their marriage. What happened next reaffirmed his belief that she simply did not want to be alone.

"Jean...we need to talk", he said as he walked into their room one evening. She was already in bed and reading.

"What is it?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed, "When you think of our marriage...what's the first word that comes to your mind?"

Jean's eyes narrowed, "What's this all about?"

Logan looked down and sighed, "Lately...well, for a while, I don't think we've been happy-"

She quickly crawled forward and held a hand up to cut him off, "Wait...we're just going through a rough patch, ok? All marriages go through it. I'm sure we'll be fine...we can try therapy."

He scratched his chin as he murmured and looked away, "I dunno Jeanie...we seem to be beyond therapy at this point...you hate talking to me...you won't even touch me...I don't know if this is working..."

Jean grabbed his hand and pulled it to her, "I'm touching you now..."

Before he knew it, she was on top of him, kissing him desperately. He didn't know what else to do but reciprocate her attentions. After all, this is his wife and Marie claimed she wasn't going to leave Scott...and he hadn't had sex since he was in St. Louis with Marie six weeks ago...he may as well go ahead and relieve some sexual frustration.

When they had sex that night, it wasn't loving and it wasn't meaningful, it was just animalistic and full of need.

Sadly enough, Marie took that inopportune moment to walk by their door. She stopped and briefly heard moans before she heard Jean cry out Logan's name. Marie put a hand over her mouth as her eyes darted about, as if she were looking for an escape from the hellish situation she'd stumbled into.

She made a beeline back to her bathroom and dropped to her knees, spilling the contents of her stomach out into the toilet.

After taking the time to recollect herself and brush her teeth, she walked back out into the hallway just in time to see a freshly fucked, flushed looking Jean exit her room. After she made her way down the hallway, Logan, who had just finished pulling on his shirt, walked out, wearing the unmistakable sheen of sweat that told Marie he'd just had sex.

He watched Jean disappear around the corner, then suddenly turned his eyes to where Marie stood.

She trembled a little and quickly attempted to retreat into her room, but he rushed over and blocked her way, "It's not what you think..."

Marie shook her head quickly and tried to put on a brave face, "Logan, it's ok. You don't have to explain anything to me. I'm happy for you...you're working on your marriage...good for you."

"Marie, it's-"

She put a hand on her stomach and leaned over a little, "Oh...I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Come on, kid...it's not that bad..."

"No, I mean-" she cut herself off and ran back to her bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

He waited outside of her room for as long as he could, but when Jean returned with their drinks, he had to leave.

The next night, Marie entered the kitchen, in need of a little alcoholic refreshment. Doug was there, helping himself to some ice cream and reading a book.

He smiled politely, "Hey."

She smiled back as she pulled the key to the liquor cabinet out of her pocket and opened it, "Hey, doing ok?"

Doug nodded and watched her curiously for a moment before turning back down to his book. She plucked out a bottle of wine and spent some time searching for the bottle opener, then set the bottle on the island and tried to open it.

Doug scoffed and stood, "You're going to break the neck of that. Give it here..."

She stepped to the side and idly rubbed a hand over her stomach as she watched him open the bottle. He glanced at her sideways and cleared his throat, "You know...uh...I read some studies about the subconscious mind realizing what's going on inside of our bodies before we do...like lung cancer patients who stopped smoking months before they were even diagnosed...patients with undiagnosed anemia who double up on iron supplements without any clue as to why...patients who end up suffering from brain tumors reported constantly rubbing their heads...and it wasn't because they head headaches."

Marie cocked her head to the side and folded her arms, "You're tellin' me this because..."

"I'm tellin' you this because I think your body language is telling me something you don't know yet...and I don't think you should be drinking this wine."

Marie blinked rapidly as Doug put away his ice cream and left the room, leaving her to hyperventilate by herself.

She didn't know how long she was standing there before Logan entered and said her name, causing her to jump and spin around, accidentally knocking the wine over.

"Oh god! You scared me!" she stuttered as she set the bottle upright and grabbed some towels as she began sopping up the wine.

"Everything OK? You're really jumpy..."

She looked into his eyes for a moment, then nodded, "Uh, yeah...I'm fine. I gotta go."  


* * *

She stared down at the pregnancy test for, what felt like, hours. Scott knocked on the bathroom door, "Baby, you OK in there?"

"Uhhh...yeah. I'm fine!"

Marie quickly wrapped the pregnancy test and box up in the bag it came in and threw it in the trash. When she came out of the bathroom, he smiled, "What took you so long?"

"Just...uh..plucking my eyebrows."

He narrowed his eyes a little, "Alright, well, I wanna shower, so, scooch."

She was relieved to have a little time to herself to attempt to process the information she just received.

She was pregnant...and she had no idea how it happened or who it happened with.

Marie sat down on the bed and sighed, trying to figure out what to do. Logan was trying to work things out with his wife...and Scott was trying to be better...maybe it would work out.

She jumped as the bathroom door suddenly flew open. An overly excited Scott rushed over and picked her up as he laid repeated kisses over her face, "I saw the test! Oh god! Marie!"

Marie tried to smile, but her nervousness over the situation prevented that...what was her husband doing rummaging through the trash anyways?

He set her down on her feet and and took her face in his hands, "I know you didn't want to have a baby yet, but everything happens for a reason...you'll see...this baby will make everything better."

She was confused and bothered by that statement, despite the fact that he was showering her with loving kisses and gentle caresses.

That night, she was forced to talk about all things baby related when all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and go to sleep until she didn't have to deal with her problems anymore.

Scott finally shut up when he fell asleep with a hand over her belly, which she promptly removed as soon as she heard his breathing grow more even.  


* * *

**Review please folks! Thanks so much for being such a faithful bunch of awesome readers! Keep providing feedback!**


	8. Chapter 8

Marie and Scott went to a doctor's to check on the status of her pregnancy. She was relieved when they were told everything "looked good" and gave her her due date. If Scott hadn't been there, she would have asked if they could tell her exact conception date.

She didn't know how she was going to make it through the next 33 weeks with Scott being so giddy and overly attentive. He was already driving her crazy by monitoring her every movement, everything she ate and everywhere she went.

They got into an argument over her eating macaroni and cheese because he'd read somewhere about how unsafe certain cheeses were to pregnant women and he wasn't sure what kind of cheeses were in the dish. In the end, she just slammed the plate down and left.

Marie wished she could have a glass (or bottle) of wine just to take the edge off of having to deal with him, but she knew that wasn't an option, so she just hid from her husband as often as she could.

Scott would always find her though. She swore he must've implanted some sort of tracking device inside of her.

Meanwhile, Scott had completely pulled her off of the X Men team without telling her, leaving her unable to even go on recruiting trips. She found out when she ran into Storm and Bobby in the hallway with their bags packed.

"Hey, where are you guys headed to?"

Storm flung her bag on her shoulder, "Scott didn't tell you? We're headed to San Francisco to go talk to that guy the professor wanted to hire."

Marie's face immediately turned hot, "No...he didn't say anything...but you guys have a great trip."

She stomped all the way back up to her room before opening the door and slamming it closed. He furrowed his eyebrows, "What's wrong, honey?"

"You know I wanted to be the one to go to San Francisco! Why would you pull me off of that trip?"

He stood and took her hands, "I just didn't want you to have to worry about traveling. It can be stressful and I don't want anything to happen to the baby."

Marie yanked her hands out of his and paced, "I am getting so tired of you treating me like an invalid Scott! People are going to start asking questions if you keep acting like this."

"Well...if you just go ahead and tell them like I asked, we wouldn't have to worry about that."

She crossed her arms and stammered a bit, "It's bad luck to tell before the third month..."

That was only the excuse she gave him. In reality, she was afraid of Logan finding out.

Marie had an overwhelming feeling that the baby she carried was Logan's...or maybe it was just because of the strong connection her body had to his...either way, she just didn't feel comfortable when Scott stroked her belly. It was like he had no business doing so.

On top of his annoying, overly attentive antics, Scott completely stopped having sex with her now that she was pregnant.

He'd been laying in bed, fiddling with his iPad when she climbed onto the bed, feeling as horny as ever. He was no Logan...but he was a warm body and she needed release...

When she kissed his neck, he furrowed his eyebrows and moved away, "What are you doing?"

She reached into his underwear, "I thought it was abundantly clear."

Scott grabbed her wrist and moved her away, "Marie...please...what about the baby?"

"Are you kidding me right now? It's perfectly safe!"

He shook his head, "I don't think it's a good idea. It's just weird...knowing the baby's in there and all the poking..."

Marie groaned and rolled out of bed to put on her bathrobe. He put down his iPad, "Where are you going?"

"To the library."

"Don't stay up too late-"

She snapped as she cut him off, "Of course not! It's not good for the baby!"

And with that, she slammed the door and walked out. The library was empty and dark, save for the orange glow of the fire. She sat down in front of it to stare at the flickering flames.

Her hand slowly drifted to her belly as she leaned her head back and smiled, "I know I might not act like it, kiddo, but I want you. I just wasn't planning on having you so soon, but I'm hoping for the best for you...for us. I'm not sure who your father is...but I think I know...I think I can feel it..."

* * *

Although Jean had stopped being completely intolerable, she was still very difficult to get along with. Logan thought about just saying "fuck it", divorcing her and taking off...but Marie...he couldn't leave Marie.

Even if he couldn't have her, he still needed to be able to see her and make sure she was alright. He wasn't sure if he could survive without being near her. He loved her too damn much.

It had been three months since he'd been able to express that love...and it was getting harder and harder to see her around the mansion and not be able to touch her the way she deserved to be touched...especially now that she seemed to be filling out a little more. Logan loved her body already, but he definitely loved the idea of adding a little bit more to her subtle curves. He wished she would show it off a little more, but for some reason, she started wearing baggier clothes and looser shirts.

When Scott and the professor called a special team meeting one afternoon, he was hoping to get a seat close to Marie so that he could at least take in her scent while he was busy tuning out the fearless team leader.

When he arrived in the lower levels, he glanced at Peter, who stood beside him, "Any idea what this meeting is about?"

"Probably more brotherhood crap."

"Hmph."

Logan ended up getting there too late and had to settle for a spot on the wall, standing next to his wife as Marie sat all the way in front, next to Scott.

The professor slowly began, "Good afternoon everyone. I know you might be wondering why I called this special meeting...so I'll get right into it. Because we've had a recent influx in new team members and new students, we're currently operating at full capacity. This is both good and bad news. Good because the school is thriving, bad because there are still mutants out there who need a place that is willing to take them in and teach them how to control their powers and use them for good. As you know, we've already started up an operation in London, but it's come to our attention that we need to open a second location here in the US. We were hoping to start it on the west coast...maybe Seattle, Portland or San Francisco. I called this meeting because I am in need of volunteers who would be willing to relocate to help run our west coast facilities."

Logan looked at Jean. When her eyes connected with his, he knew exactly what she was thinking...

Before he could get a word in, she raised her hand "I think we'd be willing to go, professor."

Logan whispered at her urgently, "We need to talk about this."

She sighed and whispered back, "We need a change of scenery."

"We_ NEED_ to talk about it."

Marie had to keep her head from snapping around to look at Jean. She kept her thoughts under control and looked down at her hands as the professor continued, "That would be most helpful Jean...Logan...thank you. Now actually moving there will be on a volunteer basis only, but I will need to enlist the help of senior team members to make at least one or two trips to the new school to help establish initial operations and set up the facility."

Logan furrowed his brows as Scott started to stand up, but Marie yanked him back down and whispered a quick word to him. He watched as Scott whispered something back as Marie began to vigorously shake her head and attempt to pull him back into his seat as he stood and spoke, "Professor...I know Marie is a senior team member...but she won't be able to make any of the trips."

The professor looked at him with a confused smile on his face.

Marie shook her head, "Scott-"

He smiled knowingly as he cut her off, "It's alright, honey. We've kept this to ourselves long enough."

"What have you kept to yourselves?"

"Scott..."

He completely ignored her as he threw his arms up, "I'm gonna be a father!"

Logan felt as though he'd been punched in the gut as he watched Scott pull a somber looking Marie out of her chair. He could tell that the smile she forced onto her face was anything but genuine as people began to swarm her with congratulations.

He quickly slipped from the room and jogged to the nearest bathroom where he promptly splashed water on his face and hoped that his wife didn't notice the look of sheer panic that spread across his face when Scott announced Marie's pregnancy.

* * *

Marie was walking so fast, Scott practically had to jog to keep up with her, "I think you're overreacting. I don't see what I did wrong!"

She stopped briefly, but then continued walking, "And that's probably the most frustrating thing of all! You never even asked me if I wanted to tell people that way! You never even thought to stop and say: 'Hey...Marie might have some close friends she wants to tell personally before I go blabbing off about her pregnancy in front of the whole fucking team!'"

He took her arm, but she snatched away and held up a finger, "Don't touch me unless you're gonna fuck me because I swear 'for God and every witness I am so horny I am on the verge of spontaneously combusting, but nooooo! My husband won't touch anywhere but my belly because he's afraid something's going to hurt the baby...the baby this, the baby that...well I'm still here Scott! I matter too!"

Scott tried to pull her into an embrace, "Marie-"

She pushed away from him, "Back off, Cyclops!"

And then she was gone...

Marie kicked Scott out of their room that night and didn't let him back in until a couple of weeks later on the night before he was scheduled to leave on a trip to go look at real estate in Seattle.

Scott wouldn't let Marie fly and Logan had flat out refused to go...so their spouses were leaving without them.

The next morning, she gave him a frigid hug before he dropped down to his knees in front of her and said goodbye to the baby. That made her roll her eyes so hard she almost gave herself a headache. When the goodbye to her unborn child started to get too mushy, she patted Scott on the shoulder, "You're going to be late. You really should go...like, now."

Part of her felt bad for being so happy that Scott was gone, but the other part of her just felt relieved. She desperately wanted the time and the privacy she would need in order to properly apologize to Logan over the way he found out about her pregnancy...and she needed to ask him if he and Jean were actually considering leaving Westchester.

To avoid being spotted, she waited until evening to go to his room. When he answered the door, he didn't seem happy or surprised to see her, "Can I help you?"

Her face fell a little, "Can I come in?"

He hesitantly opened the door, then closed it behind her after she stepped in, "Have a seat."

She shook her head, "I think I'll stand."

Logan let out a breath, "Suit yourself."

Marie rolled her eyes and lowered herself into his arm chair as he sat on the bed across from her. There was a long moment of silence before she suddenly spoke up, "I'm sorry for how you found out...I was going to tell you myself, but Scott decided to just be an idiot and do it on his own...he couldn't contain himself anymore...I'm surprised he lasted this long."

Logan's eyebrows furrowed at that last sentence, "This long?" He cocked his head to the side and examined her, suddenly realizing where the baggy clothes came into play, "...wait...how...how pregnant are you?"

She wasn't at all prepared for that question...or the consequences of truthfully answering. She pursed her lips together and stood, "I should go. I just wanted to apologize for that...I gotta go."

Marie tried to make a beeline for the door, but as soon as she opened it, he slammed it back closed from behind her. She shuddered as she felt his warm breath caress her hair, "Marie...how far along are you?"

She shook her head as she gripped onto the door handle, "It doesn't matter..."

"Like hell it does...tell me the truth Marie..."

Marie closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the door, "Almost four months."

She heard him whisper, "Oh god."

Logan knew, that just under four months ago, they were in St. Louis...making love.

His hand gently snaked around her waist to rest on her lower abdomen as his fingers softly caressed the gentle swell of her womb. She bit her lip as he leaned forward, "Is it mine?"

Marie wanted to say yes...because that's how she felt. Here he was, touching her stomach, and she didn't feel the need to cringe or roll her eyes the way she did when Scott touched her belly. Logan touching her belly felt right, it felt natural...

She let out a breath, "No..."

"Bull shit", he said as he turned her around and looked into her eyes, "This baby is mine...I can feel it."

Marie pushed past him and began pacing the floor of his room, "It doesn't even matter! You and Jean are moving the west coast, Scott gets the baby he's always wanted and you and I-"

"Live unhappily after ever and I get the shit end of the stick while the world's most tightly wound asshole raises my kid! What are you gonna say if this kid has claws...or a healing factor...or worst, my personality?"

"Logan, the truth is...I honestly don't know for sure if you're the father, OK? Scott and I were together right after we came back from St. Louis, so yes, there's a possibility this child is his."

He looked into her eyes and stepped forward, "...but you feel like it's mine...I can see it in your eyes...you want this baby to be mine..."

She shook her head and started toward the door again, but he turned her around and pressed her against it before kissing her hungrily and whispering, "I want this...I want you to have my baby, Marie..."

Marie wasn't sure if it was the words his spoke, his hungry kisses or her hormones, but she was overtaken with an intense desire for him as he picked her up and carried her to the bed.

She quickly stripped out of her clothes and watched as he yanked his own articles of clothing off before kissing a path all the way down her body. When he reached her belly, he laid a gentle, lingering kiss below her navel, then continued to her already wet snatch.

Logan stuck his tongue inside, eliciting a passion filled moan from her lips. After a few strokes, she shook her head and ran a hand through his hair, "I need you inside of me..."

He knelt down in front of her and pushed himself inside of her, making her arch her back and cry out as he began fucking her. Although he was more gentle than their previous encounters, his strokes were still powerful and mind blowing in nature. It felt like his cock rubbed up against her g spot every single time he pushed into her.

It was heaven.

Marie didn't last long. She yanked his face down to hers and kissed him deeply as she came hard, shuddering and whimpering as her muscles clenched around him.

It was her most powerful orgasm yet.

Logan followed soon after, whispering her name as he closed his eyes and gripped onto the sheets.

Marie shuddered as he slowly pulled out of her and flopped onto the bed beside her.

"You OK?" he asked as he looked at her.

She nodded and breathed out as she closed her eyes, "Just tired..."

He kissed her shoulder and nuzzled her, "Just stay...no one knows you're here...

She nodded and murmured happily, "Mmkay..."

Marie was in a deep sleep just minutes later. She laid on her side, in blissful, orgasm induced slumber as Logan spooned up behind her.

He looked at her face to make sure she was asleep before placing a gentle hand on her belly. He thought about the day Jean told him she was pregnant and remembered the sickening feeling of panic and dread that came over him...it was so different than what he was feeling right now.

* * *

**Review please people! We're still waiting on Marie to find out HOW she got pregnant in the first place. She's right now just operating under the assumption that she's just that unlucky 1% of women that birth control fails for.**

*************Special Medical Notes***********  
**

**I'll address the questions concerning birth control. I mentioned this is one of my other stories, but my sis is an OB/GYN and I've had a child, so I know a couple of things about birth control and pregnancy thanks to her, my doctor and my annoying habit of asking every question imaginable during my pregnancy-**

**There is absolutely no medical evidence that getting pregnant while on (or soon after getting off) birth control negatively affects the fetus or your pregnancy in any way. Nor does it increase your chance for miscarriage. The reason why doctors tell you to wait before trying to conceive is typically for your convenience. Here's why: The birth control pill prevents pregnancy by preventing ovulation. Some women start ovulating immediately after they stop taking the pill, others weeks, others months. Now, if you've been on birth control for a long time and your body is used to being regulated by it, there's a chance your body may need a little time to get used to ticking on its own again. If you get pregnant right after taking the pill, it's sometimes difficult for the doctor to nail down your exact due date because it's likely that your cycle might be abnormal after getting off the pill- especially if you had irregular periods before you started birth control. I got pregnant 10 days after getting off birth control and the only problem we had with that was the fact that my due date changed twice because we just couldn't nail down when I had ovulated and he was a big baby!**

**Also: Often times, doctors can't tell EXACT conception dates, only approximations, and seeing that Marie was with Logan one night, then went back home and was with Scott the next, she still wouldn't be able to tell who the father of her child is because the conception date could be off by up to 7 days. When they perform the ultrasound, the u/s tech takes measurements and the age of the fetus is automatically calculated based on those measurements, but, sometimes you can have a big baby or small baby, making the child appear a little younger or older than they actually are. Example: You go in at 20 weeks for an ultrasound, but the u/s may read 21wks 2 days because your little one may be a little bit on the large side! LOL.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Marie woke up extra early the next morning in order to sneak back to her room undetected. After she had the opportunity to shower and get a couple more hours sleep, Logan knocked on her door.

"Come in..."

She smiled shyly and sat up a little as he entered her room, "Hey, kid. Pack a bag. Storm received an anonymous tip about a potential recruit upstate and we gotta move fast."

Marie blinked rapidly, "What? I thought Scott-"

"He's not here right now and you're the only person left who has experience with pitching the school...now...do you wanna go?"

She nodded silently until he clapped his hands, "Come on. Move that ass Marie."

Marie packed her suitcase and met Logan in the garage twenty minutes later.

When they hit the road, Marie yawned a little, "I'm gonna get some rest...wake me up when we get there, alright?"

He nodded as she leaned against the window and fell asleep. She didn't know how long she was asleep, but when she woke up, Logan was pulling up in front of a gorgeous looking log cabin nestled among the golden, orange and amber colored trees.

She yawned and sat up, "Where are we?"

He put the car in park and smirked, "How mad would you be if I told you that there is no recruit?"

Marie narrowed her eyes, "What are you talking about?"

Logan took the keys out of the ignition and brushed her hair behind her ear, "I made up the lead...because I wanted to spend time with you away from the mansion."

"Logan...what if someone else finds out?"

He got out of the car and walked around to her side before opening the door, "They won't...trust me."

She smiled uneasily and took his hand before he helped her out of the car and led her to the entrance of the cabin. He entered in a code to the lockbox and took out the key.

Marie watched him, "How did you plan all this?"

"I got on the phone this morning when you were catchin' your extra Z's."

Marie shook her head as she walked into the cabin and looked around, "You're crazy."

"Oh, you noticed?"

She smiled and slowly walked in, "It's beautiful here..."

Logan put down their bags and stared at her, "Yeah...it is..."

Marie looked back at him and smiled sadly before her eyes fell to the floor, "Do you think doing something like this is going to make it harder for us in the long run if it turns out the baby isn't yours?"

He looked away from her, "I don't know, but I need this and I think you do too."

She looked out the window and ran her hand down her belly as she took in the beautiful scenery surrounding them, "I do need this."

He gently ran his hands down her arms and kissed the back of her head, "Let's just make a deal. For the next three days, let's pretend nothing outside of this cabin exists. It's just you, me and the cub..."

She turned around and started to protest him calling the baby a "cub" since they were still unsure about the baby's paternity, "Logan, we don't know if-"

Logan put a gentle hand over her mouth and shook his head, "Let's just live in our own world for 72 hours...OK?"

Marie nodded as he kissed her forehead and smiled, "Alright. Well, my own little world says I'm hungry."

"Wanna know the best part about renting from Sleepy Ridge Cabin Rentals?" She nodded as she watched him walk into the kitchen and fling open the refrigerator door, "Call ahead grocery delivery."

She raised a brow, "Nice..."

After eating lunch, Logan leaned back in his chair at the kitchen table and looked out of the bay window in front of him, "It's fuckin' beautiful out here."

Marie smiled and sat on the table in front of him. He immediately placed his hands on her waist and leaned forward to lay kisses across her midsection before reaching beneath her skirt and pulling down her panties.

He laid a few soft kisses against her legs before standing and moving between her thighs. She pulled her sweater off over her head, causing her hair to wildly fall around her face as she tossed her clothing aside.

Logan brushed her hair out of her face and looked into her eyes as he whispered, "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

She blushed a little, "No...but feel free to tell me."

He smirked as he slowly began kissing her. He was determined to take his time in making love to her over the next few days.

When he was finally undressed, he entered her right there on the kitchen table, making her gasp in pleasure as he slowly began moving in and out of her. Logan allowed his hands to roam over her body as he made love to her lovingly and passionately.

After they came, they showered and started a fire, which Marie sat in front of for a few minutes before Logan joined her. He gave her a cup of tea and sipped on his own bottle of beer.

"What's on your mind?"

She sighed and shrugged a little, "We're in our own world. Don't wanna spoil it with talk of outsiders..."

"If it's got you staring at the fire in silence, it's obvious it's time to talk about it..."

Marie leaned forward, "I don't want to hurt anyone. Jean may be an ice maiden, but does she really deserve everything that's happening behind her back? Does Scott?"

Logan scratched his chin and took a swig of his beer, "Maybe Scott does...but Jean...I dunno. She's never been the nicest person...but when she lost that baby...it broke her heart. I think she's really afraid of dying alone or something..."

"She might want to work on that goddess of ice persona, then."

He laughed a little and took another swig of his beer, "Tell me about it." He stared at her for a long time before he spoke again, "I can't say I'm sorry enough, babe."

She shook her head, "I think you have."

Marie scooted over to him and laid her head on his shoulder as they watched the fire.

Their peaceful moment was interrupted by the sound of Marie's cell phone. She was surprised she still had service as she answered, "Hello?"

Scott's panicked voice came from the other line, "Marie? Where the fuck are you! I called the mansion and they said you and Logan left this morning on a recruiting trip! I thought I told you I didn't want you traveling."

"Hit the stop button, press rewind and try again without the yelling and cursing or I promise I'll hang up."

She heard Scott sigh and grumble from the other end, "Well what the hell do you expect? You go on a trip after I specifically tell you not to travel and don't even bother to tell me."

"I know to you, I'm just an incubator carrying your precious cargo, but I am this baby's mother, Scott. I think I'm smart and trustworthy enough to make judgement calls regarding what I do and where I go."

Logan mouthed "...and who you fuck" from the other side of the room, causing Marie to stifle a chuckle.

Scott muttered, "Whatever. Just don't do anything else stupid...and don't forget to take your vitamins."

"I'm hanging up now."

***click***

Logan shook his head, "Damn. You handle Scooter better than me."

That night, as Logan made love to her again, he looked into her eyes, "I know you said the closest we would get to love is hate...but I don't feel that way, Marie...I love you...and that isn't gonna change."

She took his face in her hands, "I love you too, Logan..."

After they finished, they laid on the bed, naked, while Logan tried to teach her how to play poker. He dealt a new hand and looked at his own as she squealed in delight. He rolled his eyes a little, "Babe...you ever heard of the expression 'Poker Face'?"

"Oops! Sorry."

Logan chuckled and shook his head, "I am not gonna turn you into a poker champion, am I?"

"No, but I am a certified Uno ass-kicker."

He raised an eyebrow, "Is that a challenge?"

She playfully slammed the cards down and threw up some fake gangster signs, "Aww...you don't want none of this!"

Logan laughed and rolled out of bed. He returned with Uno cards and tossed them onto the bed.

He smiled as he watched her. There was no way in hell he and Jean would ever do something like this...sitting naked, playing games...activities like those were completely unheard of in his marriage.

This time with her reaffirmed his belief that she was his soul mate.

The next day, after making love yet again, they lay beside each other in bed. They were laying on their sides, staring at each other when he reached over and gently moved his fingertips over her belly, "You thought of any names yet?"

She ran a hand through her hair and watched as his fingers caressed her stomach, "A few...Madeline or Isabelle if it's a girl and Matthew or Jeremy if it's a boy."

He scrunched up his face, "Jeremy?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with the name Jeremy?"

Logan shuddered, "It's just too...Scott-like."

Marie threw her head back and laughed as he nodded seriously, "I'm not kidding! I don't want you naming this baby out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog."

She nodded and put a hand on his shoulder, "I promise I won't, OK?"

That night, Marie heard her cellphone ring. She rolled her eyes and walked over to her purse, "Probably Scott again..."

She looked at the caller ID and furrowed her eyebrows at seeing Storm's number. She almost never called her.

"Hello?"

Storm's voice was marred by sobs, "Rogue? You and Logan have to get here! You have to get here now!"

"Storm? Storm! Calm down...what's going on?"

Marie looked over at Logan and frantically motioned him over so that he could listen in on her conversation as Storm continued, "There was an accident...it's really bad, Rogue...Scott...he's...he's in a coma..."

Marie's eyes suddenly glazed over as the phone slipped from her hand and fell to the floor. Logan, who had heard the whole conversation grabbed up the phone, "Storm? We'll catch the first flight out...how's Jean?"

Storm sniffled, "She's in surgery...they haven't told us anything...I don't even know how..."

"We'll be there in a few hours. Hang tight."

Logan hung up the phone and looked back at Marie, who seemed to be in a state of catatonic shock. He left her safely on the couch as he began rushing around the cabin, packing up their things.

* * *

**Dun dun duuuuunnnnn! Can we say "Soap Opera"? :-) Review please! Wonder how Scott and Jean got hurt in an accident but NOT the professor and Storm...hmmmmmmm.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Marie didn't quite know how she got from one place to the next, but before she knew it, she and Logan were on a plane. They didn't talk except for him asking her to eat something.

Hours later, they arrived at the hospital in Seattle, jet lagged and slightly disoriented. They rushed into the Intensive Care Unite and went to the nurse's station. Marie leaned over the counter, "I'm looking for my husband, Scott Summers."

Before the nurse behind the desk could answer, Storm called Marie's name, causing her and Logan to look up and rush down the hall to her. Storm hugged Marie and whispered, "Thank god you're here..."

Marie broke the embrace, "Where is he?"

Storm slowly nodded toward the door behind Marie, then took Logan's hands as Marie slowly and hesitantly walked into her husband's room.

She covered her mouth and trembled as tears formed in her eyes when she saw Scott laying there with breathing tubes and machines hooked up to him. His head was bandaged heavily, his face had a few ugly scratches on it and his leg was in a cast.

"Oh god..." she whispered as she slowly walked over and sat down beside his hospital bed.

She gently touched his deathly still hand and looked up at his face for any sign of life or response...but she received none.

Marie heard Storm enter behind her and spoke without taking her eyes off of him, "What happened?"

"The professor and I were at the hotel. I only know what the emergency personnel told me-"

Marie snapped her head around, "What did they tell you?"

"They were t-boned by a drunk truck driver in an intersection...he hit on Jean's side. She was knocked unconscious on impact. She didn't even have a chance to see it coming...if she had..." Storm's voice trailed off as she looked down.

Marie rubbed a hand over her face and shook her head, "I need to speak with his doctor."

Meanwhile, Logan was talking to the doctor who had operated on Jean.

"She had multiple internal injuries...broken ribs, ruptured spleen and a collapsed lung."

Logan ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, "That sounds like a lot to come back from."

The doctor nodded sympathetically, "She made it through the surgery well and she's stable now...though still critical. If all goes well, she can make a full recovery from her injuries. She's going to a bit loopy because of the pain medication, but she should be fully lucid within a couple of days."

The professor exited Jean's room as Marie stepped into the hall and nodded a somber greeting to Marie and Logan, offering his condolences to both of them. He rolled across the hall to Scott's room.

Marie's eyes locked on Logan's briefly before Scott's doctor approached and shook her shaky hand, "Mrs. Summers?"

She gave a single, pronounced nod, "Yes."

"I'm Doctor Galloway, the neurosurgeon who is treating your husband."

Marie shook his hand and blinked away a couple of tears, "Is he going to live?"

"He sustained severe head trauma in the accident, but we have promising news...he's responding slightly to certain stimuli."

"Wh-what does that mean? I-I was just in there and I touched his hand and he didn't even..." her voice trailed off as she covered her mouth to stifle a sob.

The doctor sighed, "When I say 'responding', I don't mean he's answering questions or even opening his eyes at this point...but his body is reacting to pain, hot and cold. His heart rate increases and his brain waves react when extreme stimuli is introduced."

"That's good, right?"

"It's a step in the right direction, but it's important for me to remain realistic with you-"

Marie shook her head, "I don't know what that means."

He pursed his lips, "Not everyone who goes into a coma comes out of it...even if he did regain consciousness, there's a chance he may never fully recover. For now, it's important to talk to him, play his favorite music...make his environment very positive...encourage him to come back to you. I'll be back to check on him in a few hours and perform some more tests, alright?"

She nodded and spoke quietly, "Thank you, doctor."

When the doctor left, Marie and Logan were left in the hallway alone.

She trembled slightly as a lone tear fell down her face. Her shaky voice whispered urgently, "Oh Logan...we lied to them...the last words we spoke to our spouses were lies. The last conversation I had with Scott might have been our last conversation ever...and I was deceiving him! How can I live with myself if he doesn't make it?"

He put a hand on her back, gently shushed her and led her to the waiting room. He got her a bottle of water and sat down next to her.

After waiting for her to calm down and watching her take a few sips of water he looked her in the eye, "Look, kid...we'll just take it one day at a time. I know I may hate Scott, but I never wanted the boy scout to die...and I understand he's still your husband...so we'll just concentrate on helping Jean and Scott through this."

She nodded in agreement, "OK."

Logan gently brushed her hair out of her face, "My feelings are still the same. I still want you and this baby."

They broke apart as Storm approached, "I'm going to go get us all a bite to eat..."

Over the next several days, Marie held vigil at Scott's side, talking to him, playing music and touching him.

Logan stayed by Jean's side as well...even after she woke up whispering Scott's name.

He leaned over and gently stroked her forehead, "Shhhh Jeanie...I'm here."

She took a painful breath and closed her eyes, "What happened?"

"You and Scott were in an accident..."

Her eyes opened wider in realization, "Scott...where's Scott?"

Logan stopped stroking her head, "He's in a coma..."

She began panicking so severely, the nurses had to come in to administer a sedative to keep her calm. Logan watched helplessly as Jean fell unconscious yet again.

He tried to be there for Marie as much as possible, but he could tell the guilt over lying to her presently comatose husband, was eating away at her. The professor and Storm quickly made arrangements to rent a house nearby the hospital, since they knew Jean and Scott would be unfit for airline travel for months even if they did make full recoveries.

Dr. Galloway was performing tests on Scott daily, but his responsiveness was slow to improve. He began looking for more ways to stimulate him, and approached Marie for help during one of his morning visits.

"Good morning Mrs. Summers. How are you today?"

Marie was busy massaging Scott's hands as she looked up and smiled politely, "I'm good...just giving him his manicure."

"The massage is good for him...I'm going to be doing the same stimulus tests today, but I was wondering if you could help me with another."

She nodded quickly, "Absolutely. What is it?"

"I understand that you and Mr. Summers are expecting a baby."

"Yes..."

He clasped his hands together, "I know this may be a tad bit personal, but what was his attitude toward becoming a father?"

"Oh...wow...he was over the moon. He'd been wanting to have a baby since we got married..." Marie's voice trailed off as she looked down and put a hand on her belly. It was as if she was afraid the doctor would find out her dirty little secret.

"In that case, would you be opposed to allowing our resident obstetrician bring in the doppler and allow Scott to listen to the baby's heartbeat? I want to make every attempt to stimulate him and although it's not technically a medical treatment, I'm a firm believer in the subconscious and healing through positivity."

Marie wasn't sure what to say, so she simply nodded and muttered, "Alright" before Dr. Galloway walked away to make the arrangements. Marie paced in the hallway, waiting for the doctor to return with the obstetrician.

Logan exited Jean's room and quirked an eyebrow, "Everything OK?"

She put her hands on her hips and sighed, "The doctor thinks listening to the baby's heartbeat will do Scott some good."

He flinched a little, but slowly lowered his head toward his clasped hands, "I guess you should do whatever it takes..."

She took a few steps closer to him, "I don't know how much longer I can keep this secret. What if this baby really isn't his and he miraculously comes out of the coma after listening to its heartbeat? It will kill him if he finds out it isn't his!"

Logan was torn. He wanted the baby to be his, but he thought it was more important that Scott got better. He may have thought the guy was a giant tight wad, but he knew Marie would be destroyed by guilt if he died, so for her, Scott needed to live.

He rubbed her back, "Like I said...one day at a time, OK? It'll be alright."

Marie took a few deep breaths and nodded, "Right...you're right. How's Jean?"

"Her breathing's still really shallow, so she's not talking much because of her lung and the broken ribs...but she's woken up and she's asking about Scott a lot."

She nodded and rubbed her forehead, "I'm sure she's concerned."

Logan scratched his neck, "To be honest, it's all she's talked about..."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows slightly, but straightened when a female doctor approached, "Mrs. Summers? I'm Dr. Marks. Are you ready?"

Marie and Logan exchanged a look before she followed Dr. Marks into Scott's room.

A few moments later, Marie was reclined in a chair beside Scott's bed as the doctor used her portable doppler microphone to fill the room with the fast, fluid sound of her baby's heartbeat. Dr. Galloway and his team had Scott hooked up to all sorts of extra monitoring equipment in an attempt to see if he responded to the sound.

After a few moments of allowing the baby's heartbeat to filter through the air, Dr. Galloway's eyebrows raised, "Hmm...Marie...reach over and take your husband's hand."

She did so and gasped when she felt a slight squeeze against her hand, "He squeezed! He squeezed my hand...Scott? Scott? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand again."

Although Scott didn't immediately pop up and start talking to them, it was concluded that he was on the slow road to regaining consciousness. Despite feeling relieved at news of Scott's impending recovery, she was wracked with guilt.

Had the baby's heartbeat drawn him out of his coma? She kind of wished it was just coincidence.

* * *

Marie worked diligently to brush off the distracting guilt and focus on helping Scott recover.

Jean was doing better as well. Her breathing improved and she was now able to sit up and try to eat a few times during the day.

Two weeks after the accident, Scott opened his eyes. Marie didn't realize it since they kept his quartz glasses in place, but when he gave her hand an extra hard squeeze, she sat up and called the nurse. They removed the breathing tube and within a few days, he was able to verbally communicate, signaling that he was even closer to a full recovery since his memory was in tact and he hadn't lost the ability to speak.

To Marie's surprise, his first, full, coherent sentence was him asking about Jean.

He coughed weakly and whispered, "Need...to talk to Jean...Jean..."

"She's still weak and so are you...just relax."

Scott moaned and whispered again, "Jean..."

And he was asleep again.

Marie got up and walked across the hall to knock on Jean's door. Logan answered and glanced back toward Jean's bed, "It's Marie, hon...you up for visitors?"

Jean perked up as much as her battered body would allow and nodded as Marie entered the room. She smiled weakly, "Hey Marie..."

Marie smiled back, "How are you feeling? You look a lot better."

Jean laughed softly and cautiously, which surprised Marie greatly. She could barely remember the last time Jean even cracked a smile.

What happened next caught both Marie and Logan off guard.

Jean smirked, "Yeah. I should be ready for some modeling in a couple of days."

Marie tried to keep her mouth from dropping open. Jean...the maiden of the snow covered northern realm...had just cracked a joke.

"How's Scott? Is he doing better? Logan told me he's starting to talk."

Marie nodded, "Uhm...yeah. He's asking about you...I know you were asking about him too."

Jean deflated a little bit and averted her eyes, "Yeah...well, we were in the car together."

"I know and it's a miracle you two escaped alive. Drunk drivers...they're terrible. Where were you guys heading?"

Jean stuttered a little and gently rubbed her cheek, "Uh...we were going to the store..."

Marie didn't have to turn her head to know Logan had tensed up. She could feel it.

Logan stepped forward, "I'll go get a wheel chair and take you over to see him."

He left and returned with an orderly and wheelchair. They gently placed her in it and wheeled her across the hall.

Logan reentered the empty room, prompting Marie to give him a quizzical look, "Why aren't you in there with her?"

"She said she wanted a moment alone with him."

Marie narrowed her eyes, "Something's...weird."

* * *

**Review please! Sorry for my lack of update yesterday. My little boy got sick, so I've been a bit tied up. I don't think I'll have an update up tomorrow night either, so there's a heads up! **

**I know this chapter contained a bunch of boring elements, but I didn't want to spend a whole bunch of time with a comatose Scott. This Marie character seems like she might end getting a little too reattached to Scott if he came too close to death.**

**Coming up next...**

**Scott and Jean can't get their stories straight.**

**Marie and Logan share a special moment with her unborn child.**

**As they attempt to care for their recovering spouses, their need for each other almost leads to them getting caught in a compromising position**

**Logan asks Marie a difficult question.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

Since Scott and Jean had been officially declared "out of the woods", Marie and Logan decided to stop doing most of their sleeping and eating at the hospital and instead began spending more time at the townhouse the professor rented near the hospital. It was furnished with only necessities and appliances, but it was very luxurious.

The professor and Storm returned to the school, but said they would send "help" in the form of Kitty or Jubilee because they realized how stressful caring for Scott might be for Marie since Logan already had his hands full with Jean.

Oddly enough, Marie and Logan rarely ran into each other at the townhouse. Often times, he'd leave the hospital after her, only to find that she was asleep by the time he made it to the house. He figured she needed her rest since her body was busy growing an extra person, but he wished they could spend just a little time together.

Now that Jean and Scott's lives no longer hung in the balance, he figured it was time to move forward with making her his.

During one night in particular, nearly four weeks after the accident, Logan got back from the hospital at nearly two in the morning. He knew Marie was already there, because when he attempted to find her in Scott's room, the nurse told him she'd left an hour prior.

He silently crept into her room and climbed into bed behind her, kissing her shoulder and placing a hand on her rounded belly. It had grown plenty in the past few weeks.

Marie murmured and shifted slowly as he brushed her hair off her neck and kissed the soft flesh there as his hand moved lower on her stomach.

She smiled and whispered, "Logan..."

Logan gently nipped at her ear and breathed against her skin, "Oh baby, I need you..."

Marie moaned and bit her bottom lip as he gripped the hem of her nightgown and gently pulled the fabric up her thigh, then pushed it over her bare ass. He loved that she didn't wear underwear to bed.

She grabbed his hand and whispered, "Wait...what about Jean and Scott? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Logan trembled in need, "Marie...I love you. That hasn't changed...you are still the only one I want."

He had to keep himself from letting out a sigh of relief as she let go of his wrist, silently granting him permission to make love to her. He quickly unfastened his own pants and pulled out his erection before gingerly coaxing her knees apart and placing his hand between her thighs. He felt wetness as soon as his fingers made contact, making him shudder in desire.

"Damn baby...you miss me?"

She nodded and whispered, "More than you know..."

Logan reached down and took a hold of his member before moving it toward her opening and guiding himself inside of her.

In response, Marie gasped and gripped onto her pillow as he began pumping in and out of her.

His hands greedily roamed over her body, cupping her swollen, sensitive breasts and rubbing down her pregnant belly. Logan kissed her neck and back as he worked himself up to a steady, powerful pace, "Shit...gonna cum soon baby...gonna cum baby..."

Logan felt the familiar, delicious clenching of her muscles around him and roared in triumph as he emptied himself inside of her, kneading her breasts as he did.

They were both quivering piles of useless mush for several minutes after they came. He laid behind her, smelling her hair as he kept a hand protectively planted on her belly.

She smiled and breathed out after several moments of silence, "What brought that on?"

He stroked her belly with his thumb and shrugged, "I hadn't even kissed you since before the accident...I missed you."

Marie turned her head to give him a gently kiss, which he reciprocated until a sudden movement against his hand made him break the kiss and jump away from her, "What the hell was that?"

"You felt that too?"

He sat up in the bed and looked down at her midsection, "Are you kidding me? Of course I did! Has it been moving like that a lot?"

She rolled onto her back and nodded, "Yeah...but I didn't think it was strong enough for other people to feel...I forgot to say anything because of all the distractions we've been dealing with lately."

Logan leaned down and brushed some hair out of her face, "You're amazing...you know that?"

They fell asleep in bed together that night, only to be awoken in the morning by the sound of the downstairs door opening. Logan shot straight up in bed and looked around confusedly before they heard a familiar voice call from downstairs, "Logan? Marie?"

Marie sat up at that. It was Jubilee...the "help" the professor had promised...and she was here at the WRONG time. Logan began stumbling around the room, pulling pieces of clothing on as Marie got up and searched for her robe.

As they heard the sound of Jubilee's footsteps making their way up the stairs, Logan's eyes darted about the room for a hiding place. Marie quickly pointed to the window and whispered, "Out there!"

If he wasn't the Wolverine, he would have hesitated, but he was a natural climber, so he hopped out, taking (what he thought) was all of his articles of clothing.

He disappeared out of sight just as Jubilee knocked on Marie's bedroom door, "Chica, it's me! You in there?"

Marie quickly pulled on her robe and ran a hand through her hair before opening the door and giving Jubilee an uneasy smile, "Hey!"

Jubilee wrapped her friend in a hug, then pulled back to look down at her tummy, "Oh my gosh! Look at you! Just pokin' out there for all to see. How are you feeling?"

"I'm OK...just a little stressed, but I'm as good as can be expected."

The firecracker nodded somberly before slowly perking up, "Where's Wolvie? He went to the hospital already?"

Marie watched as her friend walked further into her room and sat on the armchair. She had to keep her eyes from suddenly widening as she spotted Logan's boxer briefs halfway hanging from underneath her bed.

She rushed over and kicked them under the dust ruffel, clearing her throat to cover up her odd behavior.

"Hey chica...did you hear me?"

"Hm? I'm sorry, what?"

Jubilee stood, "I said, where's Wolvie?"

Marie jumped as Logan suddenly opened the door, "I thought I heard your voice Jubes...you don't think it's a bit early for all that squawking?"

Jubes smirked, "Good to see you too, Logan. Just waking up?"

Logan's eyes fell on Marie briefly, "Somethin' like that..."

After showering and getting Jubilee settled in her new, temporary digs, Marie and Logan took her up to the hospital to visit Jean and Scott.

Marie sat beside Scott's bed that afternoon, talking to him. He sighed, "I can't wait to get out of this place. I'm starting to feel like a prisoner."

She smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry. It won't be much longer. Dr. Galloway says you're improving by leaps and bounds."

He nodded and pursed his lips together as he looked at her thoughtfully, "I've done a lot of wrong...sometimes when it comes to you. I think this accident was a wake up call..."

Marie narrowed her eyes slightly as his voice trailed off. She leaned forward, "What do you mean, Scott?"

He shook his head and took her hand, "Nothing...forget I said anything. How's the baby?"

She thought about telling him about the baby's movement, but for some reason, didn't feel desire to. At that moment, it was something exclusive and special that only she and Logan shared...she just wanted to hang onto that a bit longer.

"Great...the baby's great."

A couple of hours later, Marie and Logan met up in front of the hospital to get some fresh air.

As always, Marie asked about Jean, and as always, Logan nodded and claimed she was simply "fine".

They sat on the bench in silence until he finally spoke up while continuing to stare straight ahead, "Even if the baby is Scott's...do you really want to stay with him?"

Marie's mouth dropped open a little. For some reason, she hadn't contemplated that combination of circumstances being possible. Despite the fact that Scott and Jean needed their spouses, their near death experiences did little to deter Marie and Logan's feelings for each other.

She wanted her baby to be Logan's. She needed her baby to be Logan's...because part of her knew that if the baby belonged to Scott, she would feel obligated to do what was best for her child and abandon all hopes of a relationship with Logan.

After several moments of silence, she stood, "I just want what's best for this baby...please don't ask me any more than that right now, OK?"

Logan clenched his jaw and was prepared to remain silent in a show of angry opposition, but Marie refused to have that.

She leaned down and looked him square in the eye, "OK? I'm a mother...this child is more important than our wants and needs. You need to understand that."

He stood and nodded, "I get it."  


* * *

When Marie returned to Scott's room, the nurse was just leaving after administering a sponge bath. She could tell because he was bright red from blushing heavily.

She sat back down, "Oh...I meant to tell you that the police are coming by to take your statement for the accident."

"My statement? It's been weeks."

Marie nodded, "Well, yeah, but you were in a coma and after that, your doctor said you weren't in any shape to be interviewed."

"Fine."

When the police arrived, Marie sat in the corner of the room and listened as Scott described the events of the fateful night that nearly killed him.

The officer busily jotted notes down as he spoke, "Where were you and Ms. Grey going?"

He stuttered a little, "We...uh...we were heading to the movies."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows. She distinctly remembered Jean saying that they were going to the store...Jean had sounded just as unsure as Scott just did when she stammered out her answer.

She decided to leave the inconsistencies in the story alone...for now.

* * *

**Surprise! My son was doing much better today, so I was able to write, but bad news- I'm coming down with the same thing my little boy has!**

**Please review and stay tuned! (Although there might not be an update tomorrow).  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi folks! Sorry about the long absence. I know I mentioned that I was getting sick in my last post and I did. I'm 90% better now though. When I get sick, the best and only medicine I need is sleep and vitamin C. Typically, I'm an insomniac who feels well rested after only about 5 hours of sleep, but when I'm sick, I need to sleep like 10 to 12 hours a day, so that's why I've been missing in action. I missed you guys!**

* * *

Jean was released from the hospital just a week after Jubilee arrived. She was slow to move around, but doing well with her recovery for the most part. Logan set her up in the downstairs guest bedroom so that she wouldn't have to deal with stairs just yet.

Logan was patient with his wife...not that he needed to be now, especially since she was a little bit nicer now than before. He was very confused by that development.

Two weeks later, Scott was released.

While they waited for their spouses to heal, Marie, Logan and Jubilee stayed in Seattle, waiting on their return to Westchester.

Marie had been going to the obstetrician at the hospital and was told that she wouldn't be able to travel via plane after her seventh month, so she knew she'd have to make plans to return to New York by herself before it was too late. Nearly three months to the day after the accident, Logan took Marie to the airport so that she could return to New York. She was six and a half months pregnant and had only two more weeks in her window of "safe travel".

Logan pulled her rolling suitcase out of the trunk and sat it on the curb in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug before kissing her thoroughly on the lips, "Wish I could come back with you."

She smiled, "Me too, but you're only a couple of weeks behind me. Jubilee's here to keep you company."

He raised a brow, "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

Marie laughed and gently removed herself from his embrace, but he pulled her back and kissed her once more before allowing her to walk away.

Two weeks after Marie returned to the mansion, Logan, Scott, Jean and Jubilee walked through the front door of the school.

Scott was walking with the help of a cane, but excitedly moved to hug Marie when he walked in the door. Marie hugged her husband, but stared at Logan over his shoulder.

* * *

Marie sat at the kitchen table, sipping on a glass of sweet tea when Logan walked in and sat across from her, "We need to talk."

"What's up?"

He leaned in a little, "Has Scott been acting weird to you?"

She blinked a little and thought for a moment before nodding slowly, "Now that you mention it...yeah. He's been really apologetic and sweet."

Logan nodded, "Jean too...I think something weird happened before the accident."

Marie nodded quickly as she tried to keep her voice quiet, "I meant to talk to you about that. Remember when Jean said they were on their way to the store or something?" She paused to wait for his nod before she continued, "...but Scott said something about going to the movies. It just didn't add up the way they were stuttering and not really comfortable with answering questions about that night."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "You don't think that...you think they-"

Scott's voice broke into the kitchen as he hobbled in on his cane, "Hey honey." He glared at the other male in the room and stiffened, "Logan."

Logan nodded cordially, "Douche." Marie rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh as she looked at Logan, who raised his shoulders in feigned innocence, "What? He's better now. He's fair game."

Scott grumbled something, but Logan didn't care enough to listen as he slipped from the kitchen.

A couple of hours later, a frazzled Marie rushed into the garage, "Something is definitely off."

He stopped his work and wiped his hands on the grease stained cloth, "What happened?"

"Scott just told me he wanted to renew our wedding vows."

Logan's brows knitted together as he tossed the cloth aside, "They definitely fucked. They're trying to soothe their guilty consciences."

Marie rubbed her chin and bit her lip, "Oh...wow. This is good, right? If they've been having an affair and we've been having an affair...we can just confront them with the information, come clean with our own indiscretions and BANG! We can have two, uncontested divorces on our hands."

He grabbed her face and kissed her as he whispered against her lips, "...and you'll be all mine. Do you want me to help you tell Scott that he might not be the baby's father? He might take it kinda hard..."

She shook her head, "No. We need to end our marriages by ourselves."

* * *

Marie and Logan chose to approach their situations differently. Marie took Scott out to a restaurant because he wasn't one to cause a scene in a public place, but Logan just decided to talk to Jean in their room.

He walked in as she settled into bed with a book, "Hey Jeanie...got a minute?"

A few months ago, she would have rolled her eyes, told him it had to wait til later and went back to her book, but this time, although she gave a pained expression, she closed her book, set it aside and clasped her hands together in her lap, "Sure."

He sat down across from her and looked her square in the eye, "I need you to be completely honest in answering the question I'm about to ask you..."

Jean swallowed hard and straightened where she sat as Logan cleared his throat, "Have you and Scott slept together recently?"

She bit her lip, "Uhm. Define...recently."

Logan ran a hand down his face and lowered his head as Jean sat up with tears already forming in her eyes, "Oh god! Logan! I'm so sorry! It's just...it just happened! He was having problems with his marriage and you know how disconnected you and I were...it was never supposed to be anything. We took the accident as a sign that we needed to end it and be better to our spouses...so we've ended it and I'm devoted to you. Completely and 100% to you."

He brought his head back up and sighed, "Would that make you happy?"

"What do you mean?"

He leaned forward, "Will being with me and only me make you completely happy?"

Jean blinked, "What kind of a question is that?"

"A valid one...because there's a reason that you needed to go out and get something that I wasn't giving you...there's a reason why I went out and got what you weren't giving me."

Her mouth dropped open a little. There was a long moment of silence before she gasped and covered her mouth, "Oh god...it's Marie...isn't it?"

"How'd you know?"

"Scott once mentioned he didn't like the way you looked at her..." Jean's eyes suddenly widened in realization, "Her baby..."

Logan nodded and finished her sentence for her, "...might be mine."

She shook her head, "Oh this is bad, Logan. This is really bad."

He shrugged, "I know divorces are never easy, but I know you'd be happier with Scott...and I'll be happier with Marie."

Jean slowly got out of bed, "No Logan...you don't understand. Scott wants that baby...badly. If he finds out that child might not be his...he'll freak out."

Logan scratched the back of his head, "I know he wants a kid so bad he can taste it, but if the kid isn't his, you guys can try when the time is right."

She crossed her arms and looked down, "No...we can't."

"Why not?"

Jean looked away, "A few months after I lost our baby, I went to a reproductive specialist...cause I wanted to try again and, at my age...things can be tougher."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

When she looked back at him, there were tears in her eyes, "Because I found out that the chances of me ever carrying a baby to term are virtually nonexistent...it was a miracle I even got pregnant in the first place."

Logan placed a comforting hand on her back, but she turned around, "I'm fine. I've had time to get used to it...and I'm sorry I pushed you away, but it was the only way I knew how to handle it."

"Jeanie...damn...I'm sorry."

Jean wiped at her eyes and shook her head, "Scott knows already...and it's the reason why I knew he'd never leave Marie for me." She scratched her forehead and shook her head, "It was weird...even before she got pregnant and was on birth control, I asked him to leave her because she obviously wasn't going to give him a child anymore than I was, but he kept saying, '..things might work out'. When I asked him if he thought she would change her mind, he just shook his head. When she did get pregnant, he pretty much used me for sex while his fertile, pristine goddess rested her womb for the impending arrival of his little prince or princess."

Logan tensed at her talking about Marie like that, and she must've noticed because she quickly muttered an apology.

He groaned, "Look. Whether Scooter likes it or not, there's a strong possibility that the baby is mine and Marie doesn't want to be with him anymore. That's it."

"No, it's not. Because she's married, Scott is legally the father of the children she conceives and gives birth to. If she tells him she wants to leave him and that the baby might not be his...he won't give her the divorce. Even if he and I get together and get married...he knows I'll never be able to give him a child. He'll hold onto her so he can hold onto the dream of becoming a father."

Logan quickly pulled out his phone to call Marie's cell, which was on silent in her purse underneath the table at the fancy restaurant as she and Scott talked. She had just finished confronting him about his affair with Jean and he was apologizing profusely.

"Marie...I'm so sorry...but you're having my baby...that's what really matters, right?"

She bit her lip and looked down, "I haven't been faithful either...and I haven't been truthful or happy for a long time."

"What? Wait...what do you mean?"

Marie lowered her voice and looked down, "I had an affair with Logan...I don't know if this baby is yours."

Scott shook his head and clenched his fists together as he trembled in anger. He looked around and leaned forward, speaking quickly through clenched teeth, "Are you fucking telling me that you let that animal mount you!"

She was slightly taken aback at his intense anger, "Wait...first of all, Logan isn't an animal, secondly, you've been fucking the ice maiden behind my back and third...I was on birth control. I took it faithfully, every day. It's not like I was looking for this to happen!"

Scott opened his mouth to say something but quickly bit his tongue as the waiter came by to refill their waters. When he was out of ear shot, he sat forward, "What the hell do you think happens now? You dump me, take that baby and shatter my hopes and my dreams?"

"What about Jean? She can give you children. I know you still love her."

Scott groaned, "She can't have kids..."

Marie flinched, "Oh no..."

Scott suddenly stood and slammed his napkin on the table before snatching out his wallet and throwing some money on the table, "There's enough there for a dinner and a cab. I think you can understand why I don't want to be anywhere near you right now."

She watched as he left and quickly grabbed her phone from her purse. She sucked her teeth upon seeing six missed calls from Logan.

Marie fought back tears as she returned his phone call, "Logan?"

"Marie! I've been tryin' to get a hold of you. Are you ok?"

She sniffled into the phone and covered her eyes as she felt the tears well in her eyes, "I'm still at the restaurant...can you come get me? I told Scott and it didn't go well at all..."

"I'm on my way baby...just calm down. I'll be there before you know it."  


* * *

For days, Scott avoided her. When he did see her, he'd suck his teeth and immediately turn around and go the other way. She figured the only communication they'd have in the future would be through their lawyers, which was why she was surprised when he showed up in her classroom right after her last class.

She didn't even notice him until he spoke evenly from behind her as she wiped down the blackboard, "How's the baby?"

Marie turned around and put a hand on her belly, "Scott...hi...fine...the baby's good. What are you doing here?"

"Obviously, I'm here to talk about the baby."

She sighed, "Scott...look-"

He took a step forward and pulled a few pieces of folded up paper out of his pocket. As he walked toward her, he opened the paper, "We're married, Marie. The state law says that I'm that child's father, even if biology doesn't say so..." He leaned forward and lowered his voice to a menacing tone, "...and after its born, if you insist on your divorce...I'll let you have it, but not without a fight...I'll do everything I can to sue you for custody."

Marie's eyebrows knitted together as she shook her head, "What? Why would you do that? A court would never allow that..."

"They wouldn't? I'm sure a court wouldn't want a child's primary caregiver to be a mutant who can kill with her touch...and you're taking up with a man who is practically part animal, has violent night terrors and has the worst anger management problem the world has ever seen..."

She wordlessly shook her head as her mouth dropped open in shock. He smirked and set the papers down on her desk, "Here's all the information you'll need to consider your decision...oh...and stay off your feet, ok?"

* * *

**Hell hath no fury as a...Scott scorned...LOL Review please I've been gone a while and I need plenty of love/feedback!**


	13. Chapter 13

After Scott officially moved out of her room, Logan began moving his things in. She presented him with the papers Scott gave her and paced in front of him. He opened the paper but continued to eye her cautiously, "Babe..sit down. You're makin' me nervous running around like that."

"Oh trust me, my pacing is the least of our worries."

He looked down at the paper and widened his eyes after a moment, "Wait...he's the presumed legal father even if the baby isn't biologically his?"

"Logan...he's pissed. I've never seen him like this before. He thinks the court will award him custody because of my mutation and your...issues."

Logan raised a brow, "My issues? You think I have issues?"

"Of course not! I'm just paraphrasing what Scott said."

Logan groaned, "He is not gonna get away with this. I'm gonna go straighten that fucktard out!"

Marie grabbed his arm, "Oh nooo you don't."

"Why not?"

She sighed, "Charging into his room and growling at him will only help prove his case. He's probably going to be watching us like hawks from now on. He's just looking for something he can use against us. Scott is a strategic thinker...that's where his strength lies."

Logan grumbled and ran a hand through his hair, "If this is my kid, he's not getting custody. I don't care what the courts say."

Marie wasn't sure what Logan meant by that, but it worried her nonetheless.

He caught the look of concern on her face and pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry, hon...you shouldn't have to be goin' through this."

She nodded in agreement and gently pulled away, "It'll be OK." He watched as she slowly moved to the other side of the room and sat down in a chair, "You should probably finish moving your stuff in so you can unpack and...relax with me later on."

He smirked knowingly, "Sure thing, darlin'."

Marie graded some papers as Logan continued moving his things into "their" room. He opened the nightstand and grunted, "What's this?"

She glanced up from her stack of papers, "What's what?"

Logan pulled a small lock box out of the night stand drawer and held it up, "This yours? I thought Scooter got all his shit."

She gave him a perplexed look, "I dunno...I don't really remember Scott ever even using that drawer."

He sat it down on the edge of the desk, "Well, he's gonna have to wait to get it back since we're not necessarily on speaking terms right now."

* * *

Jean was wearing her tiniest nighty and massaging Scott's tense shoulders in an attempt to seduce him, but it wasn't doing any good. He was looking through papers and shaking his head as he muttered, "There's gotta be more I can do..."

She suddenly stopped massaging and let out an exasperated sigh, "This has got to stop!"

He looked at her and scrunched up his brows, "What are you talking about?"

Jean moved to his side and slowly pulled the paper out of his hands, "Scott. I love you and I will be there for you 100% if this child is yours, but-"

"If? The law says it is!"

She nodded, "But that doesn't necessarily make it right."

Jean couldn't see past his quartz lenses, but she knew he was glaring behind them, "She knew how much I wanted this...she shouldn't have been so irresponsible."

"Scott, technically she wasn't any more irresponsible than you and I were. She was on birth control. It's not like she was being reckless or intentionally messing with your future."

He cringed a little and turned away, desperately attempting to absolve his mind of all guilty thoughts as she narrowed her eyes and slowly walked toward him, "Don't do this. If the child is yours, then fine...you have every right to have joint custody, but if this is Logan's child, you need to be prepared to accept that."

Scott's jaw clenched as he crossed his arms, "No. The only thing I'm going to accept is the fact that, if this kid is his, he's the only one around here knocking up the women in my life."

Jean covered her mouth and stared at him in shock over his harsh statement. He slowly softened and apologized as she turned away and looked down.

"Jean...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that...it's just...Logan got you pregnant and stole you...and now it's possible he got Marie pregnant and he's gonna steal the hopes and dreams I had to have a family. You've gotta understand where I'm coming from."

She turned around and grabbed his face, "Then we can adopt. Scott...please. There are plenty of children in need."

He gently took her hands from his face and kissed her knuckles, "I'm sorry. This is something I feel I need to do."

It was then that Jean realized that this custody battle wasn't just about Scott's need to be a father.

It was about vengeance against Logan.

* * *

The lock box sat on Marie's desk for days, completely discarded and forgotten. She and Logan had piled papers and mail on top of it as if it were a random piece of furniture.

They were enjoying openly being together and enjoying their new found sexual freedom even more. Despite Marie's growing belly, they enjoyed a rigorous and healthy sex life.

Scott's nosiness during one particular evening let him in on that little secret.

It was late one evening, and most of the school was dark when he was walking down the hall past his old room. He decided to just stop and listen a little, and immediately regretted his decision.

He heard Marie cry out in ecstasy, "Oh god! Fuck me! Fuck me, Logan! Spank me..."

Logan's growly reply followed, "Oh yeah baby...you like that, don't you?"

The loud slapping sounds that accompanied their chorus of moans and cries were just as obscene as their dialogue...but the disgust Scott felt took a back seat to the new plan he formulated in his head.

As he walked back to his room, he figured that the kind of fucking Logan subjected Marie to had to be unsafe for the baby...and since he was legally the parent of the child, he figured he had a right to do something about it...

**Three Days Later...**

"He's saying that our relationship is hazardous to the health of my unborn child?" Marie almost screamed as she looked down at the freshly opened piece of mail.

Logan grabbed the paper from her, "What?"

She threw her arms up and shook her head, "Oh he's done it this time."

He read over the paper and snarled, "That's it...we're gonna have a fucking talk."

Logan snatched open the door and stomped down the hallway with Marie hot on his heels, begging him to stop.

When they reached Scott's door, he pounded on it so hard, she could have sworn the entire mansion shook.

Logan was even more perturbed when his arch nemesis answered the door with an annoyingly polite smile on his face, "Oh hi there Logan...Marie. How can I help you?"

He held up the paper and growled, "You know good and well why we're here. What the fuck is this about our relationship being dangerous for the baby?"

Scott crossed his arms, "I think I'd rather wait for you to talk to my lawyer about that in litigation."

Marie stepped forward, "Litigation?"

"It's at the bottom of the page...scheduled for Wednesday. Have a good week."

Right after Scott slammed the door in their face, Marie had to grab Logan's arm to prevent him from kicking the door clean off the hinges.

* * *

Marie had to scramble to find a lawyer since she knew Scott would most likely have a shark. At first, she wasn't sure about letting Logan come since his temper was a little unpredictable, but in the end, he couldn't be kept away. The poor guy looked completely unnatural in the button down shirt, slacks and tie he purchased specifically for the occasion.

They rose when the judge entered the courtroom, then sat back down when instructed. She was an older, harsh looking woman who looked like she never smiled...ever.

"We're here today to discuss the custody arrangement of the child Mrs. Summers is carrying...you two are still legally married...but currently separated and in the process of divorce." The judge looked down at her file and glanced at Logan, "Mrs. Summers has taken up with a Mr...Logan?"

"Just Logan", he suddenly said.

"If you would like to address the court, you will stand, raise your hand and wait for the court to acknowledge you."

Logan grumbled something and crossed his arms as the judge narrowed her eyes at him. Logan knew that look...she thought she had him figured out already. The judge looked back down at the papers, "Now, typically, I don't see couples in family court until after the baby is born...but Mr. Summers believes that certain factors, including your relationship with...Mr. Logan could negatively affect the welfare of your unborn child."

Marie clenched her fist and leaned over to whisper something to her lawyer as the judge continued shuffling through the papers, "You will each be given an opportunity over the course of this litigation to present your cases concerning custody...but we're here today because Mr. Summers believes his unborn child is in immediate danger."

Marie's lawyer stood and respectfully held up a hand. The judge acknowledged him with a nod of her head, "Your Honor, there is a question to paternity. It's highly possible that Mr. Summers is not the father of my client's child. We're respectfully requesting that the complainants custody suit be dismissed until the birth of my client's baby, after which, paternity will be established. If the child does happen to be Mr. Summers biological offspring, she is more than willing to work with him in order to establish an amicable custody arrangement."

The judge removed her reading glasses and clasped her hands together, "Mr. Jones, I know you are fully aware of the laws in this state, so spare me the baby daddy details. It is my job to determine what's best for the child in this situation, and if you cannot prove that your client and her new found boyfriend are fit to help raise a child, then biology couldn't matter any less...now, getting to why we're here today...Mr. Anderson, your client has concerns about the health of the unborn child?"

Scott's lawyer rose as Marie's took a seat, "Yes, your honor. My client feels that Logan's unpredictable nature puts Mrs. Summer's health at risk, thus endangering his unborn child's health. It is common knowledge that those two engage in rough sexual play that can be heard throughout the school in which they live."

Marie's mouth dropped open, "Are you serious with this Scott?"

"Mrs. Summers. I'm not one to give out warnings, so consider this a favor...zip it."

Marie crossed her arms and glared at Scott as he sat looking straight ahead. His lawyer continued, "While we understand that, medically, it's safe for a pregnant woman to engage in sexual activity, Mr. Summers believes that these "encounters" are so violent, they've actually left marks on her. In fact, I'm sure that if we were able to obtain a warrant, we would be able to see bruises on her hips, thighs, buttocks...who knows where else..."

Logan was seething by now. Marie closed her eyes and lowered her head as she breathed out, "This is not happening..."

"...And it's not simply about the violent sex, Your Honor. As you know, Logan himself is a mutant with a very troubled past. Along with his violent temper and unpredictable mood swings, he has six retractable nine inch metal claws...three of which once penetrated the chest of Mrs. Summers. He nearly killed her."

Marie quickly leaned over to her lawyer, who promptly jumped up, "You honor, that was a complete accident and it happened years ago!"

Mr. Anderson broke in, "Accident or not, it happened...and who's to say that that "accident" won't occur again?"

Logan was practically trembling in anger as Scott's lawyer, who was just as much of a tight wad himself, disassembled his entire character.

"To allow Logan to sleep in Mrs. Summer's bed and allow him to subject her to physical abuse he masquerades as sex during her pregnancy is just not safe for that baby."

Before Logan could stop himself, he muttered, "Oh this is bull shit."

The judge, who had been jotting notes down, stopped and nodded slowly before looking between Marie and Logan, then back to Scott, "Mrs. Summers...if you were subjected to an examination by a court appointed doctor...would we find marks caused by Mr. Logan on your body?"

"He didn't hurt me at all! We were just-"

"Answer the question, Mrs. Summers. I will only accept a yes or a no."

Marie glanced back at Logan then looked down as she fought back tears, "Yes..."

"Mr. Summers, although I do feel that the nature of your wife's relationship with Logan is possibly abusive and dysfunctional in nature, there is no precedent for this type of situation. I can't grant a restraining order without a victim's permission or intent the same way I can't order your wife to stop seeing Mr. Logan here...but seeing as how quick she is to defend him and how unwilling she seems to be to give up her relationship with him for the sake of the safety of her child certainly speaks for her character...I will definitely take that into consideration when it comes to establishing a final custody agreement."

Logan suddenly stood, "Are you saying she might lose custody of her baby if she stays with me?"

"Not that I should be answering you because of your sudden and out of order outburst...but yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. Strength of character and emotional stability are paramount when raising a child and in the short time you've been in my court room, you've demonstrated that you have a distinct shortage of both. Mrs. Summers...for the life of me, I cannot understand why you would think it's safe to raise a child with a man who once nearly killed you and leaves marks on you by your own admission-"

"You Honor! It isn't like that! Please-"

The judge held up a hand, effectively cutting Marie off, "I don't know why you've accepted his attitude and behavior as status quo...but I just cannot find that to be a safe environment for your child-"

Logan's voice suddenly cut into the judge's tirade, "I'll leave."

Marie, the judge and both lawyers turned to look at Logan, "What?"

He stared straight ahead, avoiding all eye contact with the teary Marie as he spoke, "I'll leave. I don't want to be the reason why Marie loses a baby I know she loves with her whole hear. She'll be an amazing mother...and I know I may look like an animal and I might even act like one every now and then...but I'm not. I love her and I love that baby and I'd never do anything to intentionally hurt either one of them...but if I have to promise to stay away from her to make sure she can keep her baby, I'll do it."

The judge actually seemed surprised by his sentiment, "Well...I can't just go off of your word. I'd need her to file a restraining order of some sort."

Logan nodded definitively, "Fine. She'll do it."

Marie covered her mouth and looked at Logan as tears gently streaked down her face. The judge cleared her throat, "Alright. Mrs. Summers has two weeks to report to her local police station to file a restraining order...after which, Mr. Logan will have to immediately abide by it."

With a bang of her gavel, she gathered her papers and left the room.

Marie sat in her seat with a hand over her mouth for several moments after Scott and his lawyer left.

Logan gently helped her up and led her into the hallway, where Scott stood alone, "It didn't have to be this way, Marie."

Marie was in no position to be bothered by that asshole, so Logan growled and grabbed Scott by the collar, "The judge already thinks I'm violent and unpredictable...I'm already out of her life...I don't have anything else to lose. You sure you wanna keep yappin', bub?"

Scott yanked out of Logan's grasp and appeared to have gotten the message...at first. When he muttered "fucking animal" under his breath, Logan immediately turned around and punched Scott in the stomach, making him double over, then fall to the ground coughing and clutching his midsection.

Logan grabbed Marie's hand and quickly walked them out of the building.

* * *

**Before I get flamed for the lack of accuracy concerning the courtroom process and litigation and terms and blah blah...I'm not a lawyer and I just don't have the time or energy to go looking up every single little law or do research on how things actually work in custody arrangements. This is my ficlet fantasy world and I am well aware that this is not how custody agreements/courts work in real life.**

**Aside from that, what do you think? I know my daily updates have spoiled you and I'm really sorry for suddenly being unable to do that, but I've got some stuff going on right now that makes it a little hard for me to write as much as I usually do right now. I'm sorry folks!**

**Please review and provide feedback!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

Marie was still in shock by the time Logan sat her down in her room and gave her a bottle of water. The first words she spoke were, "You can't leave me...you can't."

He knelt in front of her and gently stroked her cheek, "I don't want you to lose this baby, kid. I don't think I could allow that."

"But...I can't do this alone...I definitely can't do it with Scott! You can't go, Logan! You can't!"

Logan shushed her and pulled her into a hug as he stroked the back of her head in an effort to calm her. After a few moments of her soft sobbing and trembling, he pulled back to look into her face, "It'll be OK. You're gonna get through this baby...you're strong." When she started to shake her head he shushed her and wiped the tears from her cheeks, doing his best to ignore the intense pain in his own chest as he watched her cry.

As he realized that he'd have to live his life without Marie and a child that could very well be his, he grew less sure about how "OK" everything would be. There had to be something they could do to keep from getting separated.

His thoughts were interrupted by Marie's soft sniffling within his arms, "I love you."

"I love you too. Try not to stress out too bad, darlin'...it's not good for the baby."

She took a deep breath as he kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms, "It'll work out...it has to..."

Marie nodded unconvincingly as Logan kissed the top of her head and attempted to whisper reassuring words to her.

Meanwhile, Jean walked into the kitchen, where Scott was sitting, nursing an unidentified drink. He glanced at her and grunted, "Thanks for showing up and supporting me today...oh right...you didn't."

She sighed and walked over to him, "Scott...you know how I felt about it...how did it go?"

"Better than expected actually...not only does custody look like it's going my way, but my lawyer managed to convince the judge that Logan's a danger to the baby...in order to have a shot in hell at retaining custody, Marie's agreed to file a restraining order against him."

As Scott smirked and took another sip of his drink, Jean's mouth dropped open, "Are you serious? That's terrible! Why would you let something like that happen?"

"Marie's the one who let it happen. She didn't have to stay with the animal."

Jean narrowed her eyes, "What's happened to you? Why are you so filled with hate?"

Scott suddenly slammed his glass down, "First he took you...then he took Marie...and then he tried to take the thing I've only ever really wanted! He has no regard for anyone else's feelings! Why should I care about his?"

She jumped at the forcefulness of his voice, "Scott! Marie was your wife. What about her? What about that innocent child?"

"Just like you, Marie is better off without him...and so is that baby if it is his. That child will have everything it ever needs."

"...except its real father..."

Jean said as she walked out of the room, clearly disgusted with the person the Scott she once knew and loved had become. He was left alone in the kitchen, sulking over his alcohol.  


* * *

"Don't leave..." Marie whispered as her tiny fists clenched onto Logan's shirt so tight, her knuckles turned white.

He'd laid in bed with her that night until she fell asleep, but in order to keep the boy scout from making the custody fight an even bigger living hell than it already was, he decided not to sleep in her room.

Unfortunately for Logan, Marie was having none of that. He let a hand drift over her belly and kissed her forehead as he smirked slightly. How could she sleep with all of that action going on inside of her?

If Marie slept behind him, curled into his back with her swollen stomach pressed against him, he was often favored with kicks, bumps and random shifts, courtesy of the ever active baby she carried.

Despite the random interruptions to much needed sleep, he couldn't help but smile at the sensation. Knowing how strong and active the baby was was just another reaffirmation that this was indeed his child.

As he brushed another kiss over her forehead, he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent.

During the next two weeks, Marie barely left Logan's side. She was a somber, emotionally raw shadow that followed him from room to room throughout the mansion...constantly contemplating their impending separation.

He didn't mind. He'd just wrap an arm around her and pull her to his side before kissing her forehead and fighting the urge to shed his own tears.

The two were so wrapped up in their own state of grief, they barely noticed the somber Jean watching them throughout the two weeks. She immediately went to Scott and gave him a warning: "soften your deal with Logan and Marie, or find yourself single again".

Obviously, Scott still loved Jean, so he had his lawyer contact the judge, who then called them back into an emergency litigation.

The bitch of a judge then claimed that Logan could remain in the mansion to live and work, but not have any personal, one-on-one interactions with Marie for the remainder of her pregnancy. If Marie did allow the contact, she would risk losing her custodial privileges and Scott would be named primary caregiver of the child after he or she was born.

Marie said nothing in the court room and neither did Logan.

To them, they were still being torn apart. What good was being under the same room if they're not even allowed to be in a room alone together?  


* * *

Three torturous weeks later, Logan hadn't been able to so much as hug her.

It wasn't just the fact that he couldn't kiss and make love to her...it was the fact that he couldn't help her. She was all alone now and very heavily pregnant. He couldn't be there to help her put on her shoes, get up out of that impossibly low couch in the den or fix her a midnight snack if she needed it.

She was completely without the help that Logan had constantly provided her with.

During one afternoon, Logan was walking back into the mansion from the garage and was immediately greeted by the sounds of glass shattering and pots and pans noisily clanging. When he rounded the corner, he found a group of students crowding in front of the kitchen door with their mouths agape.

Logan pushed through them, "Move it! What's going on in here?"

Before anyone was able to answer, Logan stepped into the doorway just in time to witness Marie chucking a gigantic frying pan at Scott, who was darting around the kitchen in an obvious attempt to dodge the flying objects.

Just as Marie reached to pick up the knife block, Logan grabbed her wrist, forcing her to drop it to the floor as he pinned both of her arms to her sides, "Marie! Calm down...the baby."

He held her from behind as she screamed, "He did it! He did it on purpose!"

Jean entered the room just in time to hear those words, "What's going on in here?"

"Ask him!" Marie shrieked before spitting in Scott's direction. "I hate you! I wish I never fucking knew you, you piece of shit! You lying, deceitful, low life son of a fucking bitch! I will kill you!"

Logan had never heard her so angry before...nor felt her so strong. He was actually having problems trying to restrain a pregnant woman who was almost a foot shorter than him and at least 150 pounds lighter.

What had Scott done now?

That's when Logan saw it...the lock box, open on the kitchen counter with, what appeared to be, several packets of Marie's birth control on one side and another, very similar looking unmarked packet of pills on the other side.

"Scott...what is going on in here?" Jean asked again, stepping further into the kitchen.

Logan let Marie go, fearing that all the work she was putting in to get lose might hurt her or the baby. She marched over to the island and picked up the lock box, "See this? These were my birth control pills...you wanna know how I know?" Marie held up a packet and pointed, "Weeks one through three are pale green...week four is always white...now I remember the week when all my pale green pills suddenly became white, but I just figured the manufacturer was doing something different..." Marie held up the packet of sugar pills and yanked off the fake label Scott placed on there to reveal the word "placebo".

Marie yelled at Scott, who Logan noticed was bleeding from the head...good girl..."Seems someone was filling my prescription on their own!"

Jean's mouth dropped open, "Scott...tell me it's not true..."

"It's...it's..."

Jean took another few steps to him and narrowed her eyes. She was digging into his mind since it was clear he wasn't going to provide any answers...

She suddenly covered her mouth, then slapped him as hard as she could before running out of the kitchen. Scott looked back at Marie, "You refused to do it. I figured, if I got you pregnant, you'd realize you actually did want to have a baby."

"It wasn't **A** baby I didn't want, Scott...it was **YOUR **baby I didn't want." She allowed Logan to take her hand, "I'm calling my lawyer."

Logan dutifully grabbed the lock box and followed Marie out, figuring he could beat the shit out of Scott later.  


* * *

Marie was much more hopeful as she sat in the courtroom with Logan behind her and Scott sitting across the aisle next to his attorney. Everyone rose when the judge entered.

She looked at them over her reading glasses, "I didn't expect to see you back so soon...Mrs. Summers seems to have a complaint to bring forward concerning YOUR character Mr. Summers...let's hear it."

Marie's lawyer rose with the damning lock box, "Your Honor, during a recent clean up of her room, my clients accidentally knocked this box, that belonged to Mr. Summers, to the floor. He failed to take it with him when he initially vacated their room. When the box landed on the floor, it opened and my client discovered that the man that she married had been secretly switching her birth control pills for completely ineffective sugar pills in an effort to impregnate her against her will and without her knowledge."

The judge actually looked disgusted, "This is a very serious allegation Mr. Summers...is this true?"

Scott's lawyer rose and buttoned his jacket, "Your Honor, my client can't be held responsible if Mrs. Summers accidentally took the wrong pills. There's no proof that he was the one who switched those pills out."

Marie's mouth dropped open, "What?"

Suddenly, all eyes turned to the back of the courtroom as Jean and the professor entered. All were surprised when they took their places behind Marie, next to Logan.

The professor had been traveling between London and Seattle in an effort to set up the new teams and schools.

The judge raised a brow at her, "And you are?"

Jean rose respectfully, "Dr. Jean Grey...I'm Logan's soon-to-be ex wife and Mr. Summers ex-fiance...presently his ex girlfriend. And this is Professor Charles Xavier."

The judge looked impressed, "Oh...I've heard of you Professor Xavier. You're considered to be a pillar in the mutant community."

Charles nodded and gave the judge a polite smile, "Thank you, Your Honor."

Scott's jaw clenched as Jean fixed him with a hardened glare.

The judge turned her eyes back to Jean, "...and what are you doing here Ms. Grey?"

Jean looked at Marie, "I know that Scott is the one who tampered with Marie's birth control...because he did the same to mine."

Everyone's mouth dropped open except for Scott's, whose clenched tighter as he looked down. The judge put Jean on the witness stand and asked her several questions concerning the birth control, then suddenly got to questions about Scott's character.

"Do you believe his desire to raise this child stems from a well meaning place?"

Jean stared directly at Scott before looking back at the judge and shaking her head, "No. I don't. I think he's become petty, selfish and vengeful. He hates Logan with his whole being. Why would we even venture to believe that, if the child isn't his, he'd be able to raise that child in a loving, gentle manner? I get that he wants to be a father...but there are so many needy children out there, why not adopt? Why does he feel the need to fight tooth and nail for a child who may have been fathered by the man he hates so much?"

The judge cleared her throat and sat back. She then turned her attention to the professor, "Professor Xavier, as you know, there is some question as to whether Logan is a danger to Marie's unborn child."

"Oh no...that's not possible, Your Honor. Logan may be troubled, but the person he would never harm intentionally...is Marie. He's taken care of her for years as a friend, protector and now, her partner. I can tell you that he poses no danger to Marie or the child she carries."

After a seemingly longer than normal recess, the judge returned to her bench to lay down a revised, temporary judgement, "The order against Mr. Logan has been lifted. He may resume contact with Mrs. Summers. As for Mr. Summers...I'm ordering that a DNA test be conducted on this child immediately after its birth. If it is proven that you are the biological father, Mrs. Summers will retain primary custody and you will have bi-weekly visitation rights. Mrs. Summers can expand these visitations at her discretion. Despite the fact that you are legally considered to be this child's father, I am modifying your parental privileges due to the nature of abuse-"

Scott's lawyer jumped up, "Abuse? There's been no abuse!"

The judge piped up angrily, "He hijacked her uterus! That, my friend, is abuse! Now, sit!" She glared at Scott's lawyer as he lowered himself to his seat, then resumed, "Now...due to the nature of abuse, if the child's DNA is a match with Mr. Logan's, he will be declared the legal father and no further visitation or custodial arrangements have to be made with Mr. Summers. Thank you and good day."

As soon as the judge banged her gavel, Marie jumped up and rushed over to Logan, giving him a huge kiss on the lips as she wrapped her arms around him.

It was over...for now.

* * *

**Review please! Thank you so much for the kind words!**


	15. Chapter 15

After a long and intense meeting with Scott, Jean, Logan and Marie, Hank and Storm, the professor decided that Jean would be appointed Headmistress of Xavier's School for the Gifted - Seattle and Warren, Kitty and Bobby would help be a part of the start up team.

The professor would allow Scott to wait until after the baby is born before he decided his fate, but in the meantime, he would stay in one of the the other properties in nearby White Plains to minimize his contact with Logan and Marie.

She was ecstatic when both she and Logan's divorces were finalized mere weeks after her last court appearance.

* * *

Things in the mansion were surprisingly quiet during one extremely stormy Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, Ororo had gone to the city with Kurt to celebrate their five month anniversary. As Logan and Marie made their way down to the med lab for her check up with Hank, they joked that Storm should come home just to "fix" the weather.

Even in the lower levels, they could hear the wind howling and the thunder pounding outside. They sat in the exam room, waiting for Hank to arrive when they suddenly heard the beeping of the intercom on the opposite wall.

Logan walked over and pressed the button, "Hank, is that you? We're waitin' down here."

"Logan. A tornado warning has been issued for our area. The forecast says it's going to be big. We're taking the children down into the shelter now. You'll probably be safe down there, but you won't be able to get out if the power goes out since all the doors and elevators are elec-"

The connection suddenly grew fuzzy as the lights violently blinked and suddenly went completely out.

The emergency lights came on just as Logan walked back over to Marie and put a comforting hand on her back, "You OK, baby?"

"Yeah. I'm fine...just wanna get outta here."

He sighed and shook his head, "Everything's fuckin' electric...come on, there's gotta be a more comfortable room around here."

As soon as he helped her down off of the examiner table, he heard the distinct sound of water splashing on the floor near his feet. In the darkness, he couldn't see much, so he just closed his eyes and clutched her hands in his as he spoke hesitantly, "Marie...please tell me you just accidentally knocked over a glass of water."

There was a long moment of silence before she spoke, "Erm...ok...I just accidentally knocked over a glass of water."

"Are you serious?"

She pushed him in the chest, "Am I serious! Of course not! My water just broke, genius!"

"Fuck fuck fuck! Not yet! Not now!"

Logan suddenly had to fight the urge to scream like a girl as he led her to a more comfortable room complete with a hospital bed. He helped her onto it and paced as she took a hold of her belly and breathed out, "Oooh no...I think I just felt a contraction."

He suddenly perked up, "Marie! Do you have your cell phone?"

She grabbed it from the place where it sat nestled in her bra and handed it to him, "Fuck...this hurts."

He gently stroked her head as he dialed a number. He breathed a sigh of relief when Jean answered with the sound of children chattering and panicking in the background. She sounded flustered and annoyed, "Logan? I can hardly hear you, where are you?"

"Jean! Marie and I are stuck in the lower levels! Her water broke and, by the looks of it...she doesn't seem to have much time!"

"What? Marie doesn't have a lime?"

He yelled louder into the phone, "Marie is in labor! We're stuck in the med lab!"

"Oh my god! Marie's stuck and in labor!" she said, obviously to someone else.

Hank was suddenly on the phone, "Logan? How far apart are her contractions?"

"Uhhh...I dunno...she just had one..." A couple of minutes passed before Logan could practically hear her uterus contract, "...and there's another."

"Oh dear", Hank said on the other end.

"That's not what I wanna hear right now, doc."

Marie snatched the phone from Logan, "Now you listen and you listen good...if you do not get someone over here to get me out of this fucking god foresaken med lab, I will personally give you a full body wax, do you hear me McCoy?"

Logan's eyebrows shot skyward. It was very rare that he was the calmer of the two, so he took the opportunity to slowly take the phone back and pat her arm gently as he spoke to the dumbfounded Hank, "When do you think the power will come back on?"

"I have no idea, Logan. We're still in the shelter. The storm still seems like it's raging and there's no way we can get you out yet...tell her to breath and keep calm. Jean is going to keep her phone beside her so that you can call us if her contractions get closer together. Make sure she stays hydrated."

After an hour and two bottles of water from the mini fridge, Marie's contractions were strong and regular. She was struggling to keep from screaming out as Logan kissed her head, "You're gonna be OK..."

She writhed in pain and squeezed his hand, "God...distract me from this hell! Do something! Anything! Punch me in the face! Stab me!"

"I'm not gonna stab you..."

Marie whimpered, "Then do _something_!"

Logan stuttered a little, "Alright...ok...I can tell you a story."

"A story!"

He nodded and stroked her head, "There once was a beautiful princess and she met this big, burly beast in a...an arena. Now the princess usually didn't go to these places because she thought it was a little too violent and too seedy for her...but somehow, she ended up there the night the beast was facing an evil dragon. After defeating the dragon, the beast looked up into the royal box and saw her staring down at him with this big, gorgeous brown eyes and he knew right then and there that he was a goner."

Marie whimpered softly, but was able to speak with her tense, pain wracked voice, "The beast was a goner? What do ya mean by that?"

Logan brushed her hair out of her face, "He fell for her the way he'd never fallen for anyone else, so the beast...though normally a drifter and animal of the wood...stayed in the princess's kingdom to join a noble order of knights and swore to protect her with his life. Although the princess was too young, too beautiful...and far too good for the likes of him...the beast knew he would love her forever. He loved her since the moment he laid eyes on her."

She trembled in pain, but smiled as a tear streaked down her face, "He did?"

He nodded and brushed her hair from her face, "The beast was afraid of what might happen to the sweet young princess if he forgot his place and acted on his feelings...but he didn't realize that not making her his would do more damage than anything else..."

Marie shook a little, "But they lived happily ever after...right?"

Logan gently brushed her hair out of her face, "I think so..."

Marie sucked in a breath and tightened her grip on his hand as another contraction hit. She gritted her teeth and put her free hand on her belly, "I don't know how much longer I can last..."

Logan kissed her hand and snatched out the phone to call Hank for the twelfth time since they got stuck, "McCoy, she's gettin' worst. She doesn't even have time to recover from the contractions now. What the hell's goin' on up there?"

"It sounds like the storm is passing. I've already been on the phone with the power company and they said they won't be able to send someone out to fix the power until the storm is over. I'm going to see if I can see why the back up generator failed now that the winds have slowed...if I'm able to fix them, I should be able to get you out."

Logan nodded and shoved the phone back in his pocket. Within minutes, Marie was crying out, "I have to push! I have to push...I can't do this anymore!"

He growled into the phone, "She says she can't last any longer, Hank! What now?"

"Logan...I'm afraid you're going to have to deliver the baby."

Logan yelled, "And how the hell do I do that?"

"The supply drawer in the room has a bulb syringe...you'll need that to suck the fluid and mucus out of the baby's nose and mouth. Get a pair of surgical scissors, plenty of blankets, then wash your hands and put on a pair of rubber gloves. You want to try to prevent infection."

After gathering up all of the supplies, he turned on the speaker phone. Hank instructed them both calmly, "Marie, just do what your body naturally feels it needs to do. Women have been doing this since the beginning of time and you will be completely fine without the assistance of a doctor."

Hank coached Logan as he got between Marie's legs. He damn near jumped out of his skin when he saw the baby crown, "Uhhhh...I see somethin' over here! Keep going Marie!"

"I am! Quit yelling!" she ground out as she gripped onto the sheets for dear life.

She gave another powerful push as Logan directed a comment toward the phone, "The head's coming out! What do I do?"

"Help guide the baby out to minimize tearing. Help ease it out..."

Logan did as best he could to imitate the movements Hank described as Marie pushed again, forcing the baby's shoulders out. She screamed bloody murder, "Oh god!"

"You're doin' great, baby. Just keep going."

One last push and the baby was out. Logan gently laid its tiny body on the bed, "It's out! What do I do now?"

"Suction out the baby's nose and mouth with the bulb syringe to clear his air passages. Be gentle."

Logan did so gingerly, afraid he would hurt the tiny creature. When the baby's passages were clear, he suddenly heard the baby take his first gulp of air and use it to let out a loud cry.

Marie panted, "Is it OK?"

Hank spoke quickly, "Logan, wait until the cord stops pulsating, then cut it."

Logan did as instructed and wrapped the baby in a blanket before cradling him against his chest, immediately causing the baby's cries to cease. He didn't realize tears had formed in his eyes until he blinked and felt one streak down his face, "It's...it's a...it's a boy...he's good...he's great..."

He gently handed the baby to his exhausted, yet beyond beautiful mother. She gasped and gently nudged the blanket out of his face, "He's beautiful...he's so beautiful..."

Suddenly, the lights flickered back on. Soon, Hank and Jean rushed in and took over after washing their hands and donning a pair of latex gloves.

After a thorough examination, both the baby and Marie were given a clean bill of health. They were allowed to go to her room to recover there. Jean followed and helped them bathe the baby in the infant bath in the sink while Logan helped Marie shower since Hank was concerned she might faint after the blood loss and being on her feet so soon after giving birth.

Despite her soreness and sheer exhaustion, she felt a hundred times better after showering.

Marie attempted to feed the baby for the first time after Hank left, then laid him down in his bassinet beside their bed and stared down at him. Logan smiled and kissed her shoulder as he leaned over and looked down at the yawning newborn, "How are you feelin'?"

"Exhausted...sore...surprised...thankful..."

He quirked a brow, "Thankful?"

She nodded, "To you...you delivered him."

"He woulda made his way here regardless, kid."

Marie smirked, "Don't be so modest...you know you saved our lives...protected us...just like the beast and the princess."

Logan gently stroked her hair and coaxed her into a relaxed position to encourage her to fall asleep. Before she knew it, she was knocked out, snoring lightly as Logan continued staring at the infant beside their bed.

He smiled as he attempted to take in the baby's features. He couldn't quite tell if the little one looked like him yet.  


* * *

The next day, Marie answered her door and found Scott on the other side with his hands shoved in his pockets. Luckily, Logan was out grabbing them a bite to eat.

"Scott...what are you doing here?"

He cleared his throat, "I heard you had the baby...I...I was hoping I could see it..."

"Him."

Scott looked up with raised brows and hopeful smile, "A boy? A son? Can I see him?"

She eyed him for a few moments, "You need to remember that he might not be yours, Scott...and I'm not sure this is a good idea-"

He swallowed hard, "Please...just let me see him."

Marie bit her bottom lip and slowly stepped back before leading Scott over to the bassinet. He let out a soft breath and covered his mouth, "He's perfect."

After allowing him to stare at the baby for a few long seconds, she picked up the baby and cradled him protectively against her chest, "It's almost time for his feeding..."

"Are you breast feeding?"

Marie cocked her head to the side, "Yes."

"What's his name?"

She rocked the baby gently, "I don't know yet."

She knew he wanted to ask to hold her son by the look on his face, but even he knew better than to actually verbalize the question. Logan suddenly entered and let out a low growl at Scott's presence, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"He's just leaving, Logan...he just wanted to see the baby."

Logan snarled, "Well if he's just leaving, he can _just leave_..."

Scott sucked his teeth, then turned his softened gaze back to the baby before slowly leaving the room. Hours later, as they were getting ready to lay down, he curled against her and whispered, "What about James?"

"James?"

"For the little guy...I've always liked the name. It's simple, to the point and versatile. He can be a football player or a doctor with that name."

She smiled, "James...I like it."

As they slowly began to drift off, he whispered, "Do you think he's mine?"

A sudden feeling of fear and dread crept over her as she stole a glance at her son as he slept peacefully in his bassinet, "I don't know...but I hope so."

* * *

**Awwwww...nice fluff there before the drama returns! Review please! Yeah, I rock, I know it! Two updates in a 24 hour period for the first time in a while! Yay! Go me! **


	16. Chapter 16

Two weeks after James' birth, Marie, Logan and Scott found themselves at a hospital for the DNA test. They said very little to Scott, who fawned over James from afar as Logan stood guard, doing his best not to snarl every time his arch enemy took a step too close to Marie and James.

He'd caused her enough pain and, as far as Logan was concerned, he shouldn't have any rights toward James, even if he was his father. He loved the little guy because he was apart of Marie, and he'd want to help raise him no matter what.

The two parties parted ways as soon as the test was over. Logan gently took James away from Marie to place him in his car seat as she glanced back at the hospital worriedly.

After he finished strapping the baby in, he looked back at Marie and rubbed her back, "Hey...it'll be alright."

She pursed her lips together as her heart struggled to find its place in an area outside of the pit of her stomach. For the first time since finding out about her baby, she was afraid that the paternity of her child might not be what she wanted it to be.  


* * *

Marie hated those damn crime scene shows that made it look like DNA test results took mere hours to get.

In reality, it took forever.

In the weeks that followed their DNA submissions, James began to actually look more like a real baby and showing his characteristics.

The first thing she noticed were his big, hazel eyes. Marie had never seen Scott's eyes since they were constantly hidden behind his ruby quartz glasses, but she always imagined that, behind those optic blasts, he had blue eyes.

Unfortunately for Marie, her imagination wasn't very dependable. For all she knew, Scott's eyes were hazel too...she had no way of knowing.

Other than his eyes, he seemed to look like her. He had brown whisps of hair, but both of her potential baby daddies had brown hair...she had brown hair too.

She honestly spent hours just staring at him out of curiosity and admiration of his adorable little features.

Both she and Logan hated not knowing if they were actually a family. Logan knew that, if Scott turned out to not be James' father, the professor would most likely send him to London. He looked forward to that day more than he even wanted to admit to Marie. To know Scott's meddling and toxic anger wouldn't be around them anymore would be a huge relief.

As if having a newborn wasn't stressful enough, Marie and Logan had to deal with Scott constantly chomping at the bits for a chance to see and spend time with James.

He showed up at her room just after she finished breast feeding James.

"Hi...what's up?" she asked as she gently patted her son's back.

Scott stepped in and looked around, "Logan here?"

She shook her head, "He's at the store. Why?"

"I just wanted to see if I could spend some time with James."

Marie rubbed the baby's head and sighed, "Scott...look...you might get too attached to him if you start spending all this time with him and you get attached. It'll only confuse you."

He crossed his arms, "Logan practically lives with him."

"That's different."

"How so?" he scoffed.

"No matter what, Logan will be apart of James' life because he's apart of _MY_ life. He's going to help raise him."

Scott turned away, "I don't get it...I tried to be a good guy and look where it got me? Without a wife...without a child...without anything."

"I-I-I...that's all I hear from you. It's not all about_ you_, Scott..."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Did you ever stop to wonder why I didn't want to have a baby with you?"

"Well...no."

"You're selfish. You always were. Every time you told me you wanted to have a baby, it was because you wanted someone who you could raise to be just like you. You wanted a baby so that you could carry on your legacy...you wanted a baby because you're afraid of ending up alone. Your problems with Jean...with me...all because you're selfish. I mean...look at what you did to me! You violated me because of something YOU wanted and instead of recognizing how wrong you are and apologizing for how many lives you could have ruined, you're still acting pissy about not getting what you want."

Logan walked in just as Scott was about to retort, "What are you doing here?"

Marie cleared her throat and laid James down, "He was just coming by to check on the baby."

Logan grunted and walked into the room, deciding to take the high road as he set the bags of diapers, wipes and baby lotion on the floor beside the crib. He ignored Scott, who slowly gathered himself and began walking out of the room.  


* * *

Six weeks after they submitted their DNA, they were reconvening in the courthouse to hear the judge read the test results.

Marie practically trembled as the judge entered the courtroom, "Well hello...it seems we have a new family member in our midst...what's his name?"

"James..." Marie said as her stomach turned.

The judge gave, what Marie thought was, a smile to the baby who sat in his carrier beside Logan. The judge turned her attention to the papers in front of her and cleared her throat, "All applicable parties please stand..."

They obeyed nervously as she stared down at the papers, "These test results find that...Mr. Summers is not the father of the child in question."

Marie exhaled a breath so big, she expected to see the judge's hair blow. Logan jumped up and clapped his hands together, "Yeah!"

She jumped into his arms and kissed him as the judge banged her gavel and demanded order be restored. Scott looked on sadly and put his head in his hands as Marie and Logan sat back down at their seats.

The judge continued, "The complainant's custodial order is hereby dismissed. Have a good day."

As the lawyers left, Logan smiled at Marie, "Let's go home..."

She smiled at Logan, then looked back at Scott, who sat there with his head hanging down. She sighed and nodded, "You go ahead...I'll be right behind you."

"Are you sure?"

Marie nodded and kissed him gently, "Yeah."

Logan left hesitantly. When he was done, she took a seat beside him.

They sat in silence for several moments before he sighed, "I'm sorry..."

She slowly turned her head to look at him, "Thanks..."

Scott looked down, "Did you ever love me?"

Marie nodded definitively, "I did."

"Where do you think it all went wrong?"

She smiled, "When it started." He let out a bitter chuckle and looked at her as she continued, "We should have known we couldn't start a successful relationship as two people, on the rebound, looking to rebuild the hopes and dreams the people we loved shattered."

"I guess if Logan didn't smooth talk Jean out of our engagement, we wouldn't be here right now."

Marie scoffed lightly and shook her head, "You still don't get it..."

"Get what?"

"Scott...if you hadn't have been fooling with Jean's birth control, she wouldn't have gotten pregnant with Logan's baby and felt the need to leave you to be with the father of her child...you dug your own grave in both of these relationships. If Jean didn't get pregnant, it would have probably been an indiscretion...a slip up. Logan wasn't looking to completely steal your girl, ya know...you gave her to him."

Scott ran a hand through his hair and sat back, "Am I gonna be alone forever?"

Marie shrugged a little, "If you ease up on the craziness and relax a little, no...no, I don't think you're gonna be alone forever. But you should be alone for a little while. I think you have a lot of wrong you need to make right."  


* * *

**Sixteen years later...**

Logan marched up the hill to find his son sitting under a tree, pulling up grass, blade by blade. He leaned against the tree and watched him for a second before his son suddenly spoke up, "She hates me..."

"Who?" inquired Logan.

"Alexis..."

Logan smirked and sat down next to him, "Ya know...a girl hated me once, too. She had more of a right to hate me than Alexis does you..."

James furrowed his eyebrows and looked at his dad, "What did you do?"

"It's a long story best left for when you're a bit older...so I'll just say I was a real huge jerk. I was stupid and impulsive and selfish and-"

"I get the picture, dad."

Logan cleared his throat, "The point is...that girl once told me that hate is the closest emotion there is to love...so just wait...play it cool, cause there's a chance that Alexis might come around and realize how great of a guy you are."

"I dunno..."

"Ah come on, Jimmy. It's not that bad. Did she SAY she hates you?"

The younger feral shrugged, "No, but-"

"So there's hope."

James shook his head a little, "I don't think so..."

"Why not?"

The young boy drooped his head, "I kissed another girl at the party last week...and someone took a picture."

"Ok, so maybe you are in trouble with her." Logan chuckled a little as he nudged his son and shook his head, "You're a dead man walkin', you know that? When your mom finds out, she's gonna blow a gasket." There was a small moment of silence before he spoke again, "The girl gave me a second chance cause she knew that sometimes, men are stupid. We mean well...but we make bad decisions...and that other girl was definitely a bad decision."

"I know. I don't know what I was thinking."

Logan sighed, "Maybe she'll forgive and come back to you...hate is pretty tempting, ya know?"

Jimmy blushed a little and nodded, "So what happened with you and that girl who hated you?"

Logan stood and pulled his son to his feet along with him before looking down the hill toward a picnic table where two younger children were playing. He spotted Marie standing nearby with her face turned upwards, allowing the sun to beat down on her face.

Logan leaned in and pointed at his wife, "That's the girl who hated me right there."

"Alexis isn't as easy going as mom, dad. Look at her parents."

He laughed, "Well, you're right...Scott and Jean aren't exactly easy going."

* * *

**I thought I was going to be able to squeeze some more drama out of the story, but I couldn't without feeling like it was too cliched. I hope you enjoyed the fluffy ending though! **


End file.
